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CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
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HISTORY
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY,
NEW YORK.
FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT TO THE PRESENT TIME;
WITH NUMEROUS
BIOGRAPHICAL AND FAMILY SKETCHES.
By ANDREW W. YOUNG.
M THOR OF "SCIENCE OF GOVERN'MENT." " .VMERICAX STATESMAN'." '* \ATIONAL. ECONOMY." Etc.
Embellished with upwards of One Hundred Portraits of Citizens.
BUFFALO, N. Y.
PRINTING HOUSE OF MATTHEWS & WARREN.
1875-
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876,
Hy Andrew W. Young,
In I he office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
PREFATORY NOTE.
After the lapse of a period much longer than was anty:ipated, the writer
offers to the public the result of his protracted labors. Although he has
no assurance that the work will fully meet the expectations of all for
whom it has been written, he indulges the hope that it will receive a
good measure of the popular favor. But how much soever it may fall
short of universal commendation, he has the satisfaction to believe, that
its supposed defects will not be ascribed to any lack of effort, on his
part, to fulfill the pledge of his " best endeavors to produce a history
which should meet the expectations of the people, and reflect honor
upon the county." This has certainly been his paramount object, irre-
spective of the time deemed necessary for its accomplishment.
The author takes occasion here to suggest to the reader the advantage of
a careful reading of the Introduction before proceeding to the perusal of
the History. Portions of the work which might othenvise appear somewhat
obscure, will be rendered quite intelligible by the previous reading of the
explanations in the introductory pages.
/ ' ^/? r, ,
'2/
INTRODUCTION
Apologetic and Explanatory.
Seldom has a publication made its advent so long after its inception as
this history of Chautauqua county. Fifty years ago>-a distinguished citizen of
the county conceived the idea of such a history, and commenced the, collec-
tion of material. This labor was, for many years, unremittingly continued,
so far as his professional and public duties permitted. His removal from the
state and other causes conspired to hinder the progress of the work, until dis-
ease and the infirmities of age forbade the accomplishment, by his own hands,
of his favorite and long-cherished object ; and the people oif the county, who
had long awaited its appearance, abandoned the hope of its pubhcation.
At this juncture, the name of the author, then in a distant state, was com-
municated, by a friend, to the projector of the work. A coprespondence en-
sued, which resulted in an engagement, on- my part, to^'iiss^e the entire re-
sponsibility of its publication. It was a great, and. pecuniarily, a hazardous
undertaking. To examine more than twenty large volumes of manuscript
and printed scraps from county newspapers, and a large number of printed
volumes, for such matter as could be made available in the compilation of the
work ; and to collect, in person, an equal amount of additional matter from
the twenty-six towns in the county, was a task which few who had a just con-
ception of its magnitude would have readily assumed.
An important characteristic of a work is accuracy. Yet in publications of
no other kind than this is it so difficult. Few of the earlier settlers remain ;
and the recollections of these few are so diverse and conflicting as to render
them unreliable, unless confirmed by the concurrent statements of others.
The collections of matter for several works containing historical sketches of
this county, appear to have been too hastily and carelessly made. One of
them, though a valuable work, abounds with errors. Several appear in the
sketch of a single town, and more or less in the sketches of many other towns.
Probably to save time and labor, most of these erroneous statements have
been taken, on trust, from the first person applied to for information, and,
VI INTRODUCTION.
without further inquiry, inserted in the forthcoming publication ; and, through
that and succeeding histories, they will be transmitted to future generations.
A large portion of this History is based on the collections of Judge Foote.
These were commenced long before there were any i?//:^ settlers in the county ;
and they consist chiefly of the experience and observation of the persons from
whom they were obtained, and before their memories were impaired by time
or age. A large portion of this matter has been examined by some c^f the
early and well informed settlers still living, and has been found singularly free
from inaccuracies. In the collection of new material, unusual pains have
been taken to guard against errors. To ascertain the truth in the hundreds
of disputed cases, has required an amount of labor of which few can form a
just conception. And after the county had been several times traversed, and
the newly collected matter written out, I was unwilling to permit it to be print-
ed until I had again visited every town, and submitted the manuscript to my
informants and others for examination. Any person, therefore, who questions
the truth of any statement, has reason to doubt the correctness of his own
memory, or of the source from which his information was obtained. Yet it
would be a marvel if no inaccuracies should be discovered. Persons, not a
few, have erred in relating transactions which occurred under their own ob-
servation, or in which they had themselves participated. If, with all the pains
taken to insure a correct history, the object has not been attained, it may be
confidently pronounced unattainable. In family sketches, inaccuracies are
most likely to appear. Persons intimately acquainted with families they have
described, have not in all cases been quite correct ; and some sketches
received in manuscript have not been entirely legible. Sundry errors,
discovered since the body of the book was printed, are corrected on
pages immediately preceding the Index, at the end of the work.
Of the merits of the work, different opinions will be formed. Matter which
some will appreciate, others may regard as unimportant. Some, perhaps, will
read with little interest the adventures and experience of the early settlers,
with which they are already familiar. Others will read this part of the work
with greater interest than any other. A large portion of this History has been
written, not so much for the present generation, as for the generations which
are to follow. Many remember how earnestly they listened to the stories of
pioneer life from the lips of their ancestors. Before the present generation
shall have passed away, not an individual will remain to relate, from his own
personal knowledge, the experiences of the first settlers which have so deeply
interested us. This interest will not be abated by the lapse of time. The
written nitrative "of incidents of " life in the woods,'' will be no less accepta-
ble to those who come after us, than was the tira/ relation to ourselves. Hence,
INTRODUCTION. vU
to commemorate the events and occurrences of the past — to transmit to our
descendants a faithful history of our own time — is a duty. Many to whom
such a history shall be transmitted, will estimate its value at many times its
cost. Without it little will be known of early times, except what shall have
come down to them by tradition, always imperfect and unreliable.
This History is written for a population of 60,000, differing greatly in
their views and tastes, which the historian can not entirely disregard.
Hence, in addition to pioneer history, which constitutes a considerable por-
tion of the work, the reader will find a great variety of other matter, civil,
ecclesiastical, educational, commercial, agricultural, statistical and biographi-
cal, which will render it convenient and useful as a book of reference, now
and hereafter. It is believed that the exclusion of either of these subjects
would have materially impaired its value.
There was early manifested a desire among settlers to see the names of
themselves or their ancestors associated with the history of the county.
This desire is a natural and a proper one. A large portion of the early set-
tlers in every town have been mentioned, and many others will be
disappointed at not finding their own names. The omission was unavoida-
ble. A notice of one-half of the families of this large county, would have
infringed too much upon the space required for other topics. To visit every
family was impossible : those only were called on who were most accessible and
most likely to furnish the desired historical information. Hence the names of
many of the more worthy and prominent citizens have necessarily been omitted.
Biographical and genealogical sketches form a prominent feature of this
History. They will generally be found in the historical sketches of the
towns in which their subjects respectively resided or now reside. Sketches
of persons who have resided in several towns, are in some cases inserted in
the histories of the towns in which they passed the earlier or more eventful
period of their lives. Probably no part of the History will be more fre-
quently referred to than this. Many of these sketches contain much
interesting historical matter, and will amply compensate a perusal. Their
number has been materially increased by the unusual and unexpected num-
ber of portraits furnished by citizens, who, by their generous contribution to
the eipbelllshment of the work, deserved a full biographical and family
sketch of the person represented by the portrait. One characteristic of
these biographical notes can hardly escape the notice of the reader — the
absence of eulogy, especially of the living. As persons widely difttr in their
estimate of the characters of their fellow-men, it was deemed prudent not to
venture beyond a simple statement of the more noticeable incidents and
events of the life of any living subject.
VlU INTRODUCTION.
The attention of the reader is invited to the plan and arrangement of the
work. Matter of general interest and application, and relating to the early
history of the state and county, is first introduced, and is arranged under
appropriate heads or titles. This greatly facilitates the finding of historical
facts. The general history of the county is followed by a particular history
of the several towns, in alphabetical order. The historical sketch of each
town includes the names of early farmers, mechanics, business and profes-
sional men, and notices of mills, manufactories, schools, churches, etc. This
will aid in the search for matter relating to the towns. The Table of Con-
tents at the beginning, and the Index at the end, of the volume, will gener-
ally enable the reader to find what he seeks for. His searches, however,
will be greatly facilitated by making himself familiar with the arrangement of
the work. But the greatest advantage would be gained from at least one
perusal, in course, of the entire History. Many interesting occurrences
therein recorded, might, without such perusal, never come to the knowledge
of the reader.
It soon became apparent that the work would far exceed its prescribed
limits. To keep it within a proper and convenient size and weight, type one
size smaller than was at first intended, was selected ; the printed page was
greatly enlarged ; and the reading matter was increased twenty per cent, be-
yond the quantity promised. And paper of less than the usual weight and
thickness was taken to render the book more convenient in the using, and to
insure its greater strength and durability.
Those who have read the foregoing pages will need no further apology for
the unexpected delay in the issue of this work. No one regrets it more
deeply than myself To my patrons this delay is a gain at my expense. A
history of the county might have been written in half the time expended
upon this ; but I would not offer to the public what was not satisfactory to
myself. I presumed they would rather be served later with a good book than
earlier with an indifferent one. In respect to its embellishment they will be
more than satisfied. No definite number of portraits was promised. Instead
of fifty, which, it was hoped, might be obtained, the public are presented
with double that number, of which one-half are fine steel engravings, in
which the subjects of the pictures will be readily recognized, except, per-
haps, in a few cases of defective photographs, or of pictures taken
twenty-five or thirty years ago. The aggregate cost of the portraits exceeds
eight thousand dollars.
To the numerous friends who have given me assurances of their interest
in this enterprise, I offer my grateful acknowledgments. All who have been
applied to for information, have cheerfully rendered ' the desired service.
INTRODUCTION. ix
Next to Judge Foote, the projector of the History, who has devoted years
of gratuitous labor to his favorite object, Hon. Obed Edson has the strong-
est claim to the gratitude of the people of this county. The " prehistoric
matter," (as it has been appropriately termed,) with which the work com-
mences, and which has cost much time and elaborate reseiaarch, has been
gratuitously furnished ; and it will be regarded, by most appreciative minds,
as an invaluable contribution to the work. The lectures of the liate Hon.
Samuel A. Brown, delivered in the Jamestown academy, in 1843, and Judge
E. F. Warren's Historical Sketches of Chautauqua County,' have furnished
valuable matter. Some has also been obtained from the sketches of early
settlers in Stockton and EUery, by J. L. Bugbee, and S. S. Crissey, Esqs.
As the greater portion of the matter thus obtained is interwoven with what
has been collected from various other sources, specific credit could not, in all
cases, be given to these authors, without unpleasant interruptions of the nar-
rative, and the disfigurement of the printed page. Thanks are also due to
Dr. Taylor for the free use of his History of Portland. Having devoted
to his work several years of careful investigation, it is presumed to be, as re-
spects the history of that town, generally correct and reliable. Hence
much of what appears in this work relating to the history of Portlajid, has
been taken from, or is based upon, that History. The few errors discovered
in it are in matter relating to other towns, and come from those hastily pre-
pared, unreliable histories elsewhere referred to. Dr. Taylor has done his
fellow-citizens a valuable service, for which, doubtless, they are duly
grateful.
Matter was received from many sources after the greater portion of the
work had been printed. Much of it was intended to supply omissions in pre-
ceding pages, among which were parts of several biographical and family
sketches accompanying portraits. This matter, together with some that had
been prepared, and intended for the body of the work, appears in a " Sup-
plement" of 50 pages, to which the special attention of the reader is invited.
Much of this supplemental matter will be found arranged under the titles of
the towns to which portions of it properly belonged. Other parts of it, among
which is a sketch of Chautauqua lake and its surroundings, have been
prepared since the printing was far advanced.
Lastly, I congratulate myself on the termination of my arduous and pro-
tracted labors. If those for whom these labors have been performed shall
be satisfied, my highest object will have been attained.
A. W. Y.
December, iSyj.
CONTENTS.
CHAUTAUQUA ANTERIOR TO ITS PIONEER SETTLEMENT.
The Mound Builders, 17. The Neutral and other Huron-Iroquois Nations, 20. The Je-
suits, 24. Wars of the Huron-Nations, 25. La Salle, 26. Baron La Ronton, 29.
Indian Occupation, 30. Events leading to the French and Indian Wars, 34. Origin
of the name Chautauqua, 35. The Portage-Road, 37. Washington's journey to French
Creek, 45. The French War, 45. Pontiac's War, 48. Col. Broadhead's Expedi-
tion, 50. British Expedition over Chautauqua Lake, in 1782, 51. Washington's cor-
respondence with Gen. Irvine, 54. Survey of the State Boundary Line, 60. Indian
Wars, and the conclusion, 61. ,
PRELIMIN.ARY HISTORY— HOLLAND COMPANY'S PURCHASE.
Discovery of America ; British grants ; efforts to establish colonies, 63. Cesaion of West-
ern lands to the general government, 64. Phelps and Gorham's Purchase, 64. Hol-
land Company's Purchase, 66-9.
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY.
Controversy concerning the first settlement, 70. John and James McMahan's Purchases,
73. Settlements in Westfield, Ripley, and Canadaway, 73-6. Portland and Hanover,
76. South-east part of the county, 77. Chautauqua, 77. Kiantone, 77.
PIONEER HISTORY.
Early dwellings, 78. Clearing land, 80. Wild animals, 81. Early fanning, 85. Early
cooking, 87. Fare of the early settlers, 88. Household manufactures, 8g. Stores and
trade, 91. Ashes a staple product, 94. Nature of trade, 97. Division of business, 98.
REFLECTIONS ON PIONEER LIFE, 99-101.
EDUCATION.
Early schools ; course of instruction ; manner of teaching ; description of a school-house ;
dunce block ; school fund, 102-4.
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
Early occupation of the county by missionaries — Rev. John Spencer, and others, 105-8.
Gospel land, 108.
ORGANIZATION OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Division of the State into counties, 109-13. First county ofScers, 113. Building court-
houses, 114. Division of the county into towns, 115.
EARLY ROADS.
Old Portage Road, 116-17. Road from Pennsylvania to Chautauqua lake, 117. Mayville
and Cattaraugus road, 118.
EARLY MAILS AND MAIL ROUTES.
Early mail contractors, post-offices, and postmasters, 119-26.
POLICY OF THE HOLLAND LAND COMPANY.
Price of land and terms of sale, 126. Condition of the settlers, 128. Sale of the Compa-
ny's lands ; Gepesee land tariff ; land-office destroyed, 129-31. Policy of Mr. Seward,
131-5. Cherry Valley Company's purchase, 135.
CONTENTS. XI
LA FAYETTE IN CHAUTAUQUA.
Sketch of La Fayette, 135. Reception at Westfield, 136. Reception at Fredonia, 139-42.
TEMPERANCE HISTORY.
Drinking customs, 142. Temperance reform measures, 144-46.
ANTISLAVERY HISTORY.
Early measures of abolitionists ; violent opposition ; action of Congress, 146^. ,
MEDICAL SOCIETIES. .''■*'
Chautauqua County Medical Society, 148. Eclectic Medical Society, 148.
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES.
Early encouraged by DeWitt Clinton, 149. Chautauqua County Agricultural Society
formed, 150.
RAILROADS IN CHAUTAUQUA.
New York and Erie Railroad Company, 150. Celebration at Dunkirk, 151. Buffalo &
Erie and other railroads, 153. Atlantic & Great Western Railway, 153. Dunkirk,
Allegany & Pittsburgh and other railroads, 154-5.
POLITICAL HISTORY.
Early parties and their principles ; the federalists and republicans ; nature of the Union,
155-8. Alien and sedition laws ; Virginia and Kentucky resolutions, 158—60. Polit-
ical parties in Chautauqua, 160-2. Parties in the state ; Clintonians and Bucktails,
162-6. Anti-masonic party, 166-9. American party, 169-71. Present parties, 171.
WAR HISTORY— War of 1812.
Causes of the war ; war declared, 1 72-3. Chautauqua militia, 173-5. British cruisers ; bat-
tle of Black Rock, 175-7. Officers of the militia companies ; results of the war, 178-81.
Civil War.
Origin of the war, 182-4. Commencement of hostilities ; confederate government ; Lin-
coln's proclamation, 184-6. Movements in the North ; public meetings, 186—9.
Further action of the government ; more troops raised, 189-91. Suspension of ha teas
corpus, 191. Close of the war, 193-4. *
COUNTY NEWSPAPERS, 194-7, 634.
OLD SETTLERS' FESTIVALS.
Reiinion at Fredonia, 197-207. Reiinion at Forestville, 207-210. Reunion at James-
town, 210-218.
THE GREAT ECLIPSE OF 1806, 218-19.
TOWN HISTORIES.
ARKWRIGHT.
Formation of the town, and its settlement, 220-25. Biographical and genealogical
sketches, 225-27. Churches, 227. [See Supplement, 625.]
BUSTI.
Formation and settlement of the town, 227-33. Biographical and genealogical sketches,
233-41. Churches, 241.
CARROLL.
Formation of the town and its settlement, 241-6. Mills and factories, 247. Biographical
and genealogical sketches, 248-50. Baptist church, 251. [Supplement — John Frew
and Thomas Russell, 625. M. E. Church, 626.]
CHARLOTTE.
Formation and settlement of the town, 251-56. Dunkirk, Warren & Pittsburgh railroad,
257. Biographical and genealogical sketches,' 258-61. Churches and Lodges, 261-2.
xn CONTENTS.
CHAUTAUQUA.
Formation and settlement, 262-70. Emigration of the Prendergast family, 264-6. Bio-
graphical and genealogical sketches, 270-83. Churches and other associations, 283-4.
Supplement — Lowry Families, 626 ; insecurity of land titles in Western Pennsylva-
nia, 627-9; Lowrys, who settled in this county, and other settlers, 629-30.
CHERRY CREEK.
Formation and settlement, 284-91. Biographical and genealogical sketches, 291-3.
Churches, and other associations, 293-4.
CLYMER.
Formation and settlement, 295-300. Biographical and genealogical sketches, 300-2.
Churches, 302.
DUNKIRK.
Formation and settlement, 302-4. Village of Dunkirk, sketch of, 304-7. Manufactures,
305-7,630-31. Biographical and genealogical sketches, 307-12. Churches, 312-13.
ELLERY.
Formation and settlement, 313-20. Biographical and genealogical , sketches, 320-26.
Churches, 326.
ELLICOTT.
Formation and settlement, 327-30. First Independence celebration, 331. Worksburg,
332. Biographical and genealogical sketches, 333-4. Jamestown : its survey and
settlement, 335-6. Mills, 336 ; rising of water in the lake, 337. Settlers in the vil-
•^e, 337-42. Territorial enlargement, 343. Village incorporated, 343. Manufac-
tures, 344-50. Biographical and genealogical sketches, 350-72. Jamestown land
association, 372. Cemeteries, 372. Churches and other associations, 373-6. Lum-
ber manufacture, 376-9.
ELLINGTON.
Formation and settlement, 379-84. Biographical and genealogical sketches, 385-6.
Churches, 386—7.
FRENCH CREEK.
•
Formation and topography of the town, 388-9. Its settlement, 389-93. Biographical
and genealogical sketches, 394-5. Churches, 395-6.
GERRY.
When formed, 396. Settlement of, 396-9. Biographical and genealogical sketches,
400-2. Churches, 403.
HANOVER.
Erection and settlement of the town, 403-8. Silver Creek, 409-13. Great black-walnut
tree, 414. Forestville, 413-15. Irving, 415-16. Biographical and genealogical
sketches, 416-26. Churches, &c., 426-9.
HARMONY.
Erection, description, and settlement of, 429-36. Mills, stores, &c., 437-8. Biographical
and genealogical sketches, 438-43. Churches, 443-5.
KIANTONE.
Formation and description of, 445. Settlement of, 445-8. Biographical and genealogi-
cal sketches, 449-51. Churches, 452.
MINA.
Formation and settlement of, 452-6. Mills, stores, &c., 456-8. Churches, 459,
POLAND^
Erection, description, and aettlettient' of, 459-63. Mills, 463. Biographical and genea-
logical sketches, 464-6. Chnrches, 466.
CONTENTS. xui
POMFRET.
Formation and settlement of, 466-75. Fredonia Academy, &c., 47S-6. Laona, 477-8.
Biographical and genealogical sketches, 478-94. Churches, 494-6. [See also Sup-
plement, town of Pomfret, 646.]
PORTLAND.
Formation, description, and settlement of, 497-9. Early mechanics, merchants, mills,
&c., S00-3. Grape and wine culture, 504-6. Biographical and genealogical
sketches, 506-9. Churches, 509-12. [See also Supplement, Portland, 647.]
RIPLEY.
Formation, description, and settlement of, 512—16. Mills, stores, &c., ^ly-lS. Bio-
graphical sketches, 518-31. Churches, 531-2. [See Supplement, 640-2.]
SHERIDAN.
Formation and settlement of, 533-5. Biographical sketches, 535-44.
SHERMAN.
Formation and settlement of, 544-7. Mills, machinery, &c., S47—S. Biographical
sketches, 548-53- Churches, ic, 553-4. [See Supplement, 642.]
STOCKTON.
Formation and settlement of, 554-61. Early merchants, mechanics, mills, etc., 561-2.
Biographical sketches, 563-71. Churches, 571-3. [See Supplement, 643-5.]
VILLENOVA.
Erection and settlement of, 573-9- Mills, stores, and mechanics, 579-80. Biographical
sketches, 580-4. Churches, 584. [See Supplement, 645.]
WESTFIELD.
Formation and settlement of, 584-8. Early stores, taverns, and physicians, 588-9. Mills,
manufactories, etc., 590-1. " Warsaw club, " 592. Barcelona, 592. Biographical
sketches, 593-615. Churches, 615-18. [See al.so Supplement, 646.]
SUPPLEMENT.
CHAUTAUQUA ANTIQUITIES.
A trench filled with human bones, uncovered in Harmony, 619-20. Indian mounds in
EUicott, 620.
INDIANS.
Reservations, on the Holland Purchase — Cattaraugus Reservation, 621. Cayuga, Oneida,
Onondaga, and Tonawanda, 622. Tuscarora, 623.
COLD SUMMER — 623-4.
ARKWRIGHT.
William Wilcox, genealogical sketch of, 623. [See portrait and sketch, 227.]
CARROLL.
John Frew and' Thomas Russell, early settlers in this town, 625-6. Methodist Episcopal
Church, 626.
CHAUTAUQUA.
Lowry Families, 626-9. Land titles in North-western Pennsylvania, 627-9. Additional
names of settlers in Mayville, 629-30.
DUNKIRK.
Locomotive works, and other manufacturing establishments, 630-1. Churches, 631-2.
ELLICOTT — ^JAMESTO.WN.
Family sketches of R. E. Fenton, Corydon Hitchcock, and N. A. Lowry, 632-3.
XIV CONTENTS.
HANOVER.
Sketches of J. G. Hopkins, S. J. Smith, 633-4. Chautauqua Farmer, 634.
HARMONY.
Morris Norton, Charles Parker, and Stephen W. Steward, 634-5.
POLAND.
William Falconer, Varanus Page, 635. Churches, 635-6.
POMFRET.
Settlement and sketches of additional settlers in this town, 636-9. Manufactures, 639.
M. E. church, 639. H. Bosworth, N. D. Snow, R. H. Hall, W. H. Abell, 646-7.
RIPLEY.
Judd W. Cass and John B. Dinsmore, early settlers, 640. Elihu and Dudley Marvin, 641.
SHERMAN.
Josiah R. Keeler, an early settler in this town, and a prominent citizen, 642.
STOCKTON.
Ellsworth family, 643. Fisher families, 643-4. Sawyer Phillips' family, 644.
VILLENOVA.
Villeroy Balcom, an early settler ; biographical sketch of, 645. Freewill Baptist church,
organization and sketch of, 645-6.
WESTFIELD.
Sherman Williams, correction of biographical sketch of, 646.
CONEWANGO, CATTARAUGUS CO.
Thomas J. Wheeler, biographical and genealogical sketch of, 647-8.
RETIREMENT OF JUDGES.
Judges Elial T. Foote and Thomas B. Campbell decline reappointments ; action of the
court thereon, 648-50.
BANKS, 650-2.
OFFICIAL REGISTER.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
Appointment of, by council of appointment, for Genesee county, and of Niagara, 652.
CORONERS.
Appointments for Genesee and Niagara counties, 652.
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
Election of, in the districts of which Chautauqua was a part, 652-3. ' *
STATE SENATORS.
The districts they represented, and the years in which they served, 653.
MEMBERS OF ASSEMBLY.
The districts and counties they represented, and tljje years in which they served, 654.
DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS.
The districts or counties they represented, and the year of each convenfipn, 655.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS.
From districts including the county of Chautauqua, 655.
CIRCUIT AND COUNTY JUDGES, JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COU»T, 655-6.
DISTRICT ATTORNEYS, SURROGATES, SHERIFFS, CLERKS, TREASURERS, 656-7.
SUPERINTENDENTS OF FOOB, AND OF COMMON SCHOOLS, 658.
CHAUTAUQUA LAKE.
A summer resort ; its steamers, 659-62 ; hotels, 662-3. Fair Point, Point Chautauqua,
663-5.
REAL AND FERSO^IhU. ipt'ATH, TAXES, POPULATION, 665-6. ' ^
NOTBS A|B^ CORRECTIONS, 657.
EMBELLISHMENTS.
Abell, Moseley W., .
Abell, Thomas G.,
Sketch, .
Abell, William H., .
Allen, Augustus F., .
Angell, Cyrus D. ,
Baker, Henry,
Balcom, Villeroy,
Baldwin, Levi,
Barker, Leverett, .
Barker, George,
Barr*tt, Samuel,
Bemus, Charles, .
Benedict, Odin,
Bentley, Uriah,
Bishop, Elijah,
Blasdell, Stephen,
Bliss, Elam C,
Bly, Theron S.,
Brewer, Francis B., .
Brigham, Willard W.,
Brockway, Burban,
Brown, Samuel A., .
Bumell, Madison,
Burritt, Charles, .
Campbell, Thomas B.,
Chandler, Woodley W. ,
Sketch, . .
Chapin, James E. ,
Cook, Orsell, .
Couch, Warren,
Cushing, Zattu, . *
Cushing, William B.,
Dewey, Lester R.,
Dorman, Dearing,
Drake, Jeremiah C,
Eason, David, . .
Sketch, .
Eaton, David, .
Edson, John M., . .
Ellsworth, Jeremiah,
pUsworth, Stukely,
Farwell, Omar,
Fenton, William H,,
307
126
478
478
350
416
3S2
645
225
479
480
353
321
322
233
354
291
593
234
594
308
519
355
356
481
595
332
357
596
357
597
482
483
549
545
598
74^
599
506
258
419
643
272
359
Fenton, Reuben E., .
Sketch,
Fletcher, Adolphus,
Foote, Elial T., . .
Sketch, . . .
Foote, Charles C,
Frank, Michael, .
Gage, Charles B.,
GifFord, William,
Gleason, Hiram N.,
Griffith, John, . . .
Griswold, John E.,
Hall, John P., .
Hall, Ralph H., . .
Sketch, . . .
Hall, Asa, ....
Hazeltine, Daniel,
Hinkley, Watson S.,
Hitchcock, Corj'don,
Houghton, Jacob,
Hungerford, Sextus H.,
Jones, Solomon, .
Jones, EUick, .
Kent, Joseph, . .
Kip, Benjamin H.,
La Due, Joshua, .
Leland, Cephas R., .
Lowry, Morrow B., .
Maples, Charles G., .
Marshall, John E.,
Marvin, Richard P.,
Marvin, Dudley, .
May borne, Wm. A.,
McKenzie, Donald, .
McMahan, James,
Sketch,
Minton, John H.,
Mixer, Nathan, . .
Montgomery, James,
Morian, Jacob,
MuUett, James, . .
Orton, Samuel G.,
Osborne, Thomas A.,
Patterson, George W. ,
PAGE.
■ • 358
358, 632
. 362
Frontispiece.
359
. . 361
237
. 420
. . 271
■ • 550
323
540
• • 485
. . 486
486, 647
. 600
364
. 601
632
587
602
365
366
293
551
508
421
273
325
274
367
641
277
276
70
604
605
422
606
489
52s
277
607
XVI
EMBELLISHMENTS.
PAGE.
PAGE.
Pattison, Jonathan S 543
Southland, Judson,
. . . . 240
Peacock, William, ...
278
Spencer, John, . .
. . . . 612
Pier, Rufus,
368
Sprague, Jonathan, .
• • 492
Plumb, Alvin
608
Steward, John,' . .
441
Prendergast, Matthew, . .
279
Steward, Sardius,
442
Prendergast, Jediah, . . .
280
Steward, Stephen W.,
63s
Prendergast, James, . .
335
Strunk, William H.,
• • 333
Prendergast, Alex. T., . . .
447
Taylor, Horace C, .
. . . . 509
Prendergast, Stephen, . . .
526
Tinker, Reuben, .
. 613
Prendergast, Henry A., . .
527
Tracy, Jedediah, . .
282
Pullman, Lewis
647
Warren, Amos K., .
• 571
Rice, Victor M.
301
Warren, Chauncey, .
■ 570
Risley, Elijah, ....
490
Warren, Emory F.,
• • 493
Robertson, John R.,
281
Wells, Austin L.,
. 614
Sackett, Niram, .
423
White, Squire,
• 494
Shepard, Fitch, .
370
Wilcox, William,
. . 227
Sherman, Daniel,
424
Sketch, . .
227, 625
Sixbey, Herman, .
610
Williams, Daniel,
• • ■ 443
Skinner, Otis,
552
Williams, Sherman,
. 615
Slawson, Silas N.,
425
Sketch, . . .
. . 615, 646
Smallwood, John,
528
Willson, John I.,
• • -37'
Smith, Austin,
611
Wilson, William R.,
. 402
Smith, Philip M.,
385
Winsor, Samuel B., .
• 372
Smith, Rodney B.,
426
Young, Andrew W.,
.... 5
Snow, Noah D., .
491
Sketch, . .
• 529
Sketch, . .
49
I, 646
Young, Charles P., .
.... 530
Note. — Some persons who have furnished portraits, paid for the number at first
supposed to be necessary to supply the whole edition of the History. It was subsequently
ascertained that a larger edition would be needed to supply the demand. Some of those
who had paid for the smaller number being indisposed to increase the expense, or being
satisfied with that number, their portraits do not appear in the entire edition. Two or
three may yet be added, which are not mentioned in the above list.
Corrections. — A few errors have been discovered in the printed sheets, which are
noticed and corrected on page 667.
Abbreviations. — The letter /., or //., signifies township ; and r. signifies range. The
interrogation point in parenthesis marks (?) means query, and indicates that the preceding
statement is doubtful, and needs further inquiry. *
HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA ANTERIOR TO ITS
PIONEER SETTLEMENT.
BY OBED EDSON.
The Mound Builders.
The pioneers of Chautauqua county found it an unbroken wilderness ; yet
often when exploring its silent depths, where forest- shadows hung deepest,
they were startled at the discovery of unmistakable evidences of its having
been anciently inhabited by a numerous people. Crowning the brows of
hills that were flanked by dark ravines ; along the shores of its lakes and
streams ; in its valleys at numerous points, were the plain traces of their
industry ; earthworks or fortifications mostly circular ; pits bearing marks of
use by fire ; ancient highways and mounds, in which lay buried mouldering
skeletons ; and later, where forests had given place to cultivated fields, the
spade and plow in the spring time, made strange revelations of rude imple-
ments of war and peace, and oftentimes of the crumbling relics of an ancient
burial place. At first these monuments were believed to be of European
origin ; and patient research was made among early records for an account
of events happening upon the eastern continent, a little prior to and about
the time of the discovery of America, that would afford an explanation of
their existence. But the great age of the forest trees growing above them,
and other marks of antiquity, demonstrated this belief to be unfounded. A
solution of the mystery was then sought among the traditions of the aborig-
ines ; but carefulf investigation has proved these ruins to be so old that
tradition can throw no light upon them ; and that they cannot be the work
of the ancestors of the Indians found here.
Commencing near the centre of the state, they extend westwardly. Over
Chautauqua county they were thickly strewn ; farther to the west and south,
in the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi, these ancient remains were still
more numerously found, in larger dimensions, and it is evident of much
greater antiquity. There, for a long period of time, must have dwelt a large
and industrious people. The geometric precision with which their works
were constructed ; the fine workmanship of their pottery ; their ornaments
and implements made of copper, silver and porphyry ; the remarkable skill,
1 8 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
and the long period of time during which they must have worked the copper
mines of Lake Superior, proved them to have possessed a considerable degree
of civilization. Still further to the south, in Mexico, Central America, and
Peru, are found ruins of a more magnificent character; of immense cities
leagues in extent ; superb edifices of hewn stone, pure in design, and correct
in architecture ; built by a people possessed of a knowledge of painting,
sculpture, and astronomy ; who understood the art of writing, as shown by
inscriptions upon their palaces, and the written books, rescued during the
Spanish conquest of Mexico, some of which are still in existence and have
been partially translated.* Although these ancient remains found in Chau-
tauqua county, as compared with those of Mexico and Peru, seem but humble
memorials of the past, they are, notwithstanding, equally with those more
imposing ruins, genuine relics of olden times, erected by the labor of human
hands long before the discovery of America by Columbus, t
In the town of Sheridan, not far from where the Erie railway crosses the
highway that leads from Fredonia to Forestville, at an early day was plainly
to be seen an ancient fortification, circular in form, inclosing many acres.
The evidences then existed, that the land in that vicinity had once been
cleared, but had since come up to timber of at least three hundred years
growth. Pestles, mortars, and other stone implements were found, and
numerous pits occurring at regular intervals, were formerly observed there.
These, in every instance, were found two together, or in pairs. In this
vicinity, from time to time, many human bones have also been brought to
light. In the summer of 1870, a large grave was opened, from which a
great number of human skeletons were exhumed. These were the bones of
individuals of both sexes and all years, from infancy to old age. They were
indiscriminately mingled together, clearly indicatihg an unceremonious and
promiscuous burial. Near the eastern boundary of the village of Fredonia,
not far from the Canadaway, extending from bank to bank, a distance of •
about two hundred feet across the level summit of an eminence, still known
as " Fort Hill," was an ancient intrenchment ; in front of which were once
the traces of a large pit. In the vicinity of these remains, human bones
and the usual Indian relics have occasionally been found. In the town of
Westfield, were extensive remains of earth-works ; and in the town of Port-
land, besides a circular earth-work and other evidences of ^cient occupation,
there were also several ancient roadways. Excavations have shown that one
of them was underlaid by a bed of large stones, deeply covered with earth
and gravel. J
Around the beautiful lakes and village of Cassadaga occur, perhaps, the
most extensive remains of any in the county. At the extremity of the cape
* Ancient America, by J. D. Baldwin.
f It is the opinion of Squier the archaeologist, that the remains found in Western New
York, and the mounds of the Mississippi Valley, are not the work of the same people.
The latter are undoubtedly much the oldest.
i History of Portland, by Dr. Taylor.
THE MOUND BUILDERS. I9
which extends from the south-western side far into the lower of these
lakes, is a curious and conspicuous mound. Its longest diameter is about
seven rods; its shortest, five. Its summit is about twelve feet above the
level of the lake, and is about eight feet above the low neck of land in its
rear, that connects it with the higher and wider part of the cape. Whether
it is an artificial structure, or the work of Nature, is open to conjecture; it
seems, however, to have been anciently occupied, for the usual relics have
been found there in great abundance. Stretching across this cape for a dis-
tance of, perhaps, twenty rods, along the bririk of the plateau that rises
about twelve rods in the rear of this tumulus, was an earthenware breast-
work. Still further to the rear, extending nearly from shore to shore, was
another breastwork. Thus were several acres inclosed by these earthen
works, and the two shores of the lake. In the vicinity, large quantities of
pottery and stone utensils have been found. Near the northern shore of the
lake was a large mound ; although frequent plowing has reduced its dimen-
sions, it is still four or five feet high, and three or four rods in diameter. It
is said to have been twelve feet high when first seen, with forest trees of
centuries' growth standing upon it. About 1822, this mound was excavated,
and a large number of human skeletons exhumed. Extending from an
extensive fire bed in the neighborhood of this mound, in a north-westerly
direction, a distance of sixty rods or more, on the east side of the
lake, was an elevated strip of land of the width of the track of an ordi-
nary turnpike, bearing the appearance of having been once a graded way.
The traces of this ancient road are still plainly visible. At various other
places around Cassadaga, and along the shore of the lake, were numerous
caches and extensive fire beds, or hearths, with an abundance of coal and
ashes buried deep in the ground. Skeletons have been exhumed in many
places, and arrows, pottery and stone implements in great profusion.
Extensive remains were also found at Sinclairville and in its vicinity. A
distance of about one mile south of that village, in the town of Gerry, was
a circular intrenchment inclosing several acres; within which. numerous
skeletons and rude implements of stone have been discovered. North-east
of this intrenchment, a distance of about one hundred and thirty rods, was
an ancient cemetery, in which the remains of many people seem to have
been regularly interred. This old Indian burying ground was well known
from the first settlement of the county, and was a subject of much specula-
tion among the early inhabitants. Fifty years ago, or more, as many as fifty
skeletons were disinterred on one occasion. Some of them are said to have
been of unusual size ; and within the last twenty years, twenty-five skeletons
were disinterred on another occasion.* The bodies were regularly buried in
a sitting position, in rows, alternating and facing each other. In the woods,
in Gerry, two miles south-east of Sinclairville, is still visible one of these cir-
cular fortifications, with large forest trees growing from its ditch and wall.
Close by Sinclairville, upon the high bluff to the west, that rises precipitously
* The author was present on this occasion.
20 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
from Mill creek, was once an earth-work, circular in form, within which
was a deep excavation. The excavation and intrenchment have long since
disappeared, and now, from this commanding eminence so inclosed, a beau-
tiful prospect may be had of the village and the surrounding hills.
Extending along the northern and southern boundary of the plateau, on
which a principal part of the village is situated, were two earthen breast-
works. Between these two embankments, the main fortifications seemed to
be situated. It was an extensive circular earth-work, having a trench with-
out, and a gateway opening to a small stream that passed along its southern
side. This work inclosed six or seven acres of what is now a central portion
of the village. A part of the main street, portions of other streets, and the
village green, all were included within this old inclosure.
At other points, within the town of Gerry, and in the town of Stockton,
were remains of similar earth-works, and other evidences of an early occupa-
tion. In the town of Ellington, at different places along the terrace of low
hills, that borders either side of the valley of Clear creek, there existed, at
the first settlement of the county, the remains of many of these circular in-
closures, in the vicinity of which, stone implements and other relics have
been plentifully discovered. Along the shore and outlet of Chautauqua
lake, were numerous mounds and other vestiges. Two of these old tumuli,
and the traces of an old roadway, are still visible near the eastern shore of
Chautauqua lake, at Griffith's Point, in the town of Ellery.
The description thus far given of the aboriginal monuments found in these
localities, will suffice for a further account of those that were found numer-
ously distributed in other parts of the county ; for they all bear the same
general resemblance. They prove this region to have once been a favorite
resort of an early race. Whence they came, how long they remained, and
what fortunes attended their existence, we have no record of There can be
little doubt, however, that here were once rudely cultivated fields, ancient
and perhaps populous villages, inhabited by a strange and primitive people.
• '* But they are gone,
With their old forests wide and deep,
And we have built our houses upon
Fields where their generations sleep.
'Their fountains slake our thirst at noon ;
Upon their fields our harvest waves ;
Our lovers woo beneath their moon —
Then let us spare, at least, their graves ! "
The Neutral and other Huron-Iroquois Nations. ^
What races of people occupied the territory comprising the county of
Chautauqua, during the many centuries that elapsed after the Mound Build-
ers had passed away, and until the coming of Europeans to the states of
this continent, there remains no authentic information ; only such vague and
unsatisfactory accounts as tradition gives us : and had a reUable record been
preserved of the exploits of savage warfare, and of the monotonously recur-
ring revolutions incident to the history of a barbarous people, during so
THE NEUTRAL AND OTHER HURON-IROQUOIS NATIONS. 21
long a period of time, it is doubtful whether it would afford us much instruc-
tionor entertainment.
When the interior of this continent first became known to Europeans, a
great family of Indian nations, composed of the most warlike tribes that then
inhabited North America, possessed all of Upper Canada, nearly all of New
York, and the greater parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and a portion of
Lower Canada, and of the Carolinas. They were known as the Huron-Iro-
quois, and spoke in the same generic tongue, sometimes called the Wyandot.
They were greatly superior in intellect, courage, and military skill to all the
other Indians of North America. They dwelt in permanent villages, situ-
ated in defensible positions, rudely fortified with a ditch and rows of pali-
sades. They practiced agriculture to a limited extent, and frequently, by a
long and laborious process of burning and hacking with axes of stone,
cleared extensive tracts of land, which they rudely cultivated with hoes of
wood and bone. By reason of their native superiority, and by their having
fixed places of abode, they became more advanced in the arts of life, than
the other wandering tribes of North America. Entirely surrounding this
family of warlike nations, but always shrinking before their fierce valor, was
a great number of independent tribes ; all speaking languages radically
different from that of the Wyandot. The general resemblance that has
been found to exist among these numerous tribes, has caused them to be
classed under the general name Algonquin. Beyond the territory of the
Algonquin, and in the western and southern portions of the United States,
were other tribes of Indians speaking still other languages.*
The Huron-Iroquois family of tribes were sub-divided into several formid-
able nations ; of these the Hurons dwelt in many villages, upon the small
peninsula lying between the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, and Lake Simcoe
in Upper Canada.! Near to and south of the Hurons, among the Blue
Mountains of Canada, dwelt the Tionnontates, or Tobacco nation J South
of the Huron and Tobacco nations, was the country of the Attiwandarons,
Neutral nation or called the Kahkwas by the Senecas. Their territory
extended one hundred and twenty miles along the northern shore of
Lake Erie, and across the Niagara river into the state of New York, as
far east as the western limits of the Iroquois. They dwelt in forty villages ;
three or four of which were east of the Niagara river and Lake Erie.§ One
of their villages was located, it is believed, on a branch of the Eighteen
Mile creek, near White's Comers, in Erie county, in this State. || Their
territory extended west over Chautauqua county, along the southern shore
of Lake Erie, it is believed, some distance into the state of Ohio. The
Kahkwas, or Neutrals, were the first occupants of the soil of Chautauqua
* 3 Bancroft, Chap. xxii. Quackenbos, Chap. ii. Parker's Jesuits in North America, xi.x.
t Jesuits in North America, xxv. J Jesuits in North America, xliii.
§ Lalemant Relation des Hurons, 1648. According to Hennepin, their territory extended
along the south side of Lake Erie into the state of Ohio, as far west as the middle point in
the south shore of Lake Erie.
II O. H. Marshall.
22 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
county of whom we have any account. They were a singular race ot
people ; were great hunters, and were extremely superstitious, and ferocious
in their manners- They waged fierce wars against the Nation of Fire and
other western Indians. A letter from Father Lalemant to the Provincial of
Jesuits in France, dated at St. Mary's Mission, May 19,, 1641, contains many
interesting facts concerning them. He says :
"Jean De Brebeuf, and Joseph Marie Chaumonot, two Fathers of our
company which have charge of the 'mission to the Neutral nation, set out
from Si. Marie on the 2d day of November, 1640, to visit this people. Father
Brebeuf is peculiarly fitted for such an expedition, God having in an eminent
degree endowed him with a capacity for learning languages. His compan-
ion was also considered a proper person for the enterprise.
" Although many of our French in that quarter have visited this people to
profit by their furs and other commodities, we have no knowledge of any
who have been there to preach the gospel, except Father De La Roche
Dallion a Recollect, who passed the winter there in the year 1626.
" The nation is very populous, there being estimated about forty villages.
After leaving the Hurons, it is four or five days' journey, or about forty
leagues, to the nearest of their villages ; the course being nearly due south.
If, as indicated by the latest and most exact observations we can make, our
new station, St. Marie, in the interor of the Huron country, is in north
latitude about 44 degrees, 25 minutes, then the entrance of the Neuter
nation fi-om the Huron side is about 42 J^ degrees. More exact surveys
and observations cannot now be made, for the sight of a single instrument
would bring to extremes those who cannot resist the temptation of an ink
horn.
" From the first village of the Neuter nation that we met with in travel-
ing from this place, as we proceeded south or south-east, it is about four days'
travel to the place where the celebrated river of the nation empties into Lake
Ontario, or St. Loui?. On the west side of that river, and not on the east,
are the most numerous of the villages of the Neuter nation. There are
three or four on the east side, extending from east to west towards the Eries,
or Cat nation.
" This river is that by which our great lake of the Hurons, or fresh sea, is
discharged; which first empties into the lake of Erie, or of the nation
of the Cat; from thence it enters the territory of the Neuter nation and takes
the name of Onguiaahra [Niagara], until it empties into Ontario or St. Louis
lake, from which latter, flows the river which passes Quebec, called the St.
Lawrence ; so that if we once had control of the side of the lake nearest the
residence of the Iroquois, we could ascend by the river St. Lawrence with-
out danger, even to the Neuter nation and much beyond, with great saving
of time and trouble.
"According to the estimate of these illustrious Fathers who have been there,
the Neuter nation comprises about 12,000 souls; which enables them to
furnish 4,000 warriors, notwithstanding war, pestilence and famine have pre-
vailed among them for three years in an extraordinary manner.
" After all, I think that those who have heretofore ascribed such an extent
and population to this nation, have understood by the Neuter nation, all who
live south and south-west of our Hurons, and who are truly in great number
being at first only partially known, and all being comprised under the same
name. The most perfect knowledge of their language and country which has
THE NEUTRAL AND OTHER HURON-IROQUOIS NATIONS. 23
since been obtained, has resulted in a clear distinction between the tribes.
Our, French, who first discovered this people, named them the 'Neuter
natfon;' and not without reason; for their country being the ordinary passage
by land between some of the Iroquois nations and the Hurons, who are
sworn enemies, they remained at peace with both; so that in times past, the
Hurons and Iroquois, meeting in the same wigwam or village of that nation,
were both in safety while they remained. Recently their enmity against each
other is so great, that there is no safety for either party in any place, particu-
larly for the Hurons, for whom the Neuter nation entertains the least good
wUl.
" There is every reason for believing, that not long since, the Hurons,
Iroquois, and Neuter nation, formed one people, and originally came from
the same family, but have, in the lapse of time, become separated from each
other, more or less, in distance, interest and affection, so that some are now
enemies, others neutral, and others still live in intimate friendship and inter-
course.
" The food and clothing of the Neuter nation seem little different from
that of our Hurons. They have Indian corn, beans and gourds in equal
abundance. Also plenty of fish, some kinds of which abound in particular
places only.
" They are much employed in hunting deer, buffalo, wild cats, wolves,
wUd boars, beaver and other animals. Meat is very abundant this year, on
account of the heavy snow which has aided the hunters. It is rare to see
snow in this country more than half a foot deep. But this year it is more
than three feet. There is also abundance of wild turkeys, which go in flocks
in the fields and woods.
" Their fruits are the same as with the Hurons, except chestnuts, which
are more abundant, and crab apples, which are somewhat larger.
" The men, like all savages, cover their naked flesh with skins, but are less
particular than the Hurons in concealing what should not appear. The
squaws are ordinarily clothed, at least from the waist to the knees, but are
more free and shameless in their immodesty than the Hurons. As for their
remaining customs and manners, they are almost entirely similar to the other
savage tribes of the country.
"There are some things in which they differ from our Hurons. They
are larger, stronger, and better formed. They also entertain a great affection
for the dead, and have a greater number of fools and jugglers.
" The Sonontonhemonos [Senecas], one of the Iroquois nations, the near-
est to, and most dreaded by the Hurons, are not more than a dajr's journey
distant from the eastemiost village of the Neuter nation, named Onguia-
ahra [Niagara], of the same name as the river.
" Our Fathers returned from the mission in safety, not having found in all
the eighteen villages which they visited but one, named Klee-o-e-to-a, or St.
Michael, which gave them the reception which their embassy deserved. In
this village, a certain foreign nation, which lived beyond Lake Erie, or the
nation of the Cat, named A-onen-re-ro-nfti, has taken refuge for many years
for fear of their enemies ; and they seem to have been brought here by a
good Providence to hear the word of God."
The Andastes dwelt upon the lower Susquehanna.* To the south of Lake
Erie, and west of the Neuter nation, dwelt a warlike nation of the Huron-
* Shea. See Hist. Mag. ii. 294.
24 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Iroquois family, named the Eries or Nation of the Cat, so called from the
great number of wild cats infesting their country.* They are referred to in
the foregoing letter of Father L'AUemant. The Eries were valiant warriors,
and for a long time were a terror to the Iroquois ; they had no fire-arms, but
fought with poisoned arrows, which they discharged, it is said, with surpris-
ing rapidity.!
The most intelligent and advanced of this great Wyandot family of nations,
and likewise the most terrible and ferocious, were the Five Nations, or Iro-
quois proper. About 1539, they became bound together by an extraordi-
nary league, and resided in the middle and eastern part of the state of New
York, where, dwelling in numerous villages, they remained during the long
and terrible wars that they subsequently waged against both savages and
Europeans. The tribes composing this nation extended through the state
of New York, from east to west, in the following order, viz. : Mohawk,
Oneida, Onondaga, Cayugi, and Seneca. The fiercest and most numerous
of these tribes was the Seneca ; it occupied as far west as the Genesee river.
The first knowledge had by Europeans of the regions about Lake Erie,
and of the people who inhabited them, was obtained by the French in Can-
ada. French enterprise outstripped the English, in effecting a permanent
settlement of this continent north of the state of Virginia. James Cartier,
a French navigator, as early as the year 1534, sailed up the river St. Law-
rence, as far as Montreal, then the site of the ancient Indian village of
Hochelaga. Here he learned from the Indians, for the first time, of the exist-
ence of the great lakes and the Mississippi river. He erected a cross and a
shield, and named the country New France, and returned. Afterwards the
French made repeated attempts to settle Canada. In the year 1 608, Quebec
was founded by Champlain. In 161 5, Champlain, who was fond of adven-
turous exploits, with a party of his countrymen, ascended the upper waters
of the Ottawa river in Canada, crossed over, and discovered Lake Huron.
Here he was joined by large bands of Hurons who dwelt there, and with
these allies he traversed the wilderness of Upper Canada, crossed Lake
Ontario, entered the territory of the Iroquois, who were the mortal foes of
the Hurons, and fought a battle with the Senecas, which is supposed to have
occurred in Onondaga county in this state.
The Jesuits.
In 161 5, five years before the May Flower left Plymouth, in England,
there came over with Champlain from France, to bear the cross through
pathless wilds, and among the savage tribes of America, missionaries of the
order of St. Francis; and previous to the year 1625, three of their number,
Le Caron, Viel, and Sagard, had reached the Neutral nation. These
perhaps were the first Europeans who visited Western New York ; and the
winter of 1626 was passed by De La Roche Dallion, a Franciscan, among
this people. In 1625, the Franciscans were followed by the Jesuits, who
•LeMercier Relation, 1654, 10. + Jesuits in North America, xlvi.
WARS OF THE HURON-IROQUOIS NATIONS. 25
soon commenced instructing the tribes of the North and West, and who, for
one hundred and fifty years thereafter, labored among them with unbounded
zeal and self devotion. The most of the knowledge that we have concerning
these remote regions, and the events transpiring here in that early day, was
obtained from the very full and careful reports that these ancient mission-
aries annually transmitted to their superiors in France, which have been pre-
served in Paris, and which are Called the Relations of the Jesuits. Two of
these missionaries, Jean De Brebeuf and Joseph Marie Chaumonot, as
appears by the letter of Father L'AUemant, in November, 1640, visited the
Neutral nation, to preach to them the gospel, but it is not certain that they
crossed the Niagara river. At this time, no Englishman of whom we have
any account, had reached the basin of the St. Lawrence. Before this time,
besides these priests, many Frenchmen had visited the Neutral nation, to
purchase of them furs and other commodities. These constituted the near-
est approaches that at that time any Europeans had made to Chautauqua
county that we have any account of. Bancroft says: "Previous to 1640,
by continued warfare with the Mohawks, the French had been excluded
from the navigation of Lake Ontario, and had never launched a canoe upoif*
Lake Erie ; their avenue to the West was by the way of the Ottawa and
French rivers, so. that the whole coast of Ohio and South Michigan remained
unknown, except as seen by missionaries from their stations in Canada.''
Wars of the Huron-Iroquois Nations.
When, in 1634, the first mission was established by the Jesuits among the
Hurons, they found them and their kinsmen, the Iroquois, implacable foes,
and engaged in a fierce war that had then been waged between them for
many years. This war continued during the residence of the Jesuits among
the Hurons, with success oftenest, but not always, in favor of the Iroquois,
until the year 1 648, when a war party of the Iroquois surprised and burned
two fortified Huron towns, taking prisoners or massacring all their inhabi-
tants. The next year, one thousand Iroquois warriors entered the heart of
the Huron country undiscovered, and inflicted a terrible blow upon their
enemies. They burned two more fortified towns of the Hurons, massacred
their inhabitants, and the French missionaries residing there. They were,
however, finally driven back by the fierce valor of the Hurons, but not until
they had inflicted a fatal blow upon them. The Hurons, fearing other
attacks, now abandoned their villages, scattered themselves in many direc-
tions, and thereafter ceased to exist as a nation.*
Although the Neutral nation waged a fierce war against the Nation of
Fire, who dwelt in Michigan in thirty villages, it maintained a strict neutrality
between the Hurons and Iroquois during these wars.t This did not save
•Jesuits in North America, 361 to 402.
+ "Last summer two thousand warriors of the Neutral nation attacked a town of the
Nation of Fire well fortified with a palisade, and defended by goo warriors. They took it
after a siege of ten days ; killed many on the spot, and made.800 prisoners, men, women,
26 HISTORV OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
it, however, from the fierce Iroquois. In the year 1650, the latter commenced
a savage war upon them ; and in the autumn of that year, they assaulted and
took one of their chief towns, in which were sixteen hundred men, besides
women and children. In the spring of 1651, they captured another of these
towns, butchering and leading into captivity great numbers of the Neutrals,
and driving the remainder from their villages and corn fields into the forests,
where thousands of them perished. The destruction of the Neutrals was so
great, in this cruel war, as to wholly wipe them out as a nation ; and now no
trace remains of this warlike and powerful tribe who once possessed the
territory of this county but their name.* The scene of their final overthrow
is believed to have occurred near the city of Buffalo.
With the destruction of their kinsmen of the Huron and Neutral nations,
the Iroquois did not rest. The Eries, whose dominions extended along the
south shore of Lake Erie, next fell victims to their savage fury. In 1655,
from one thousand two hundred to one thousand eight hundred Iroquois
warriors moved into the territory of the Eries, who withdrew at their
approach with their women and children. The whole force of the Iroquois
embarked in canoes upon Lake Erie ; and it is probable that this fierce
horde coasted along the shores of Chautauqua county ; and a more wild and
savage scene cannot well be imagined than this ferocious gathering of bar-
barians presented, when on this bloody expedition of revenge. They found
the Eries gathered in a position, the location of which is not now known.
An assault was made with such savage fury by the Iroquois, as to enable
them to carry the fort ; and a slaughter so terrible ensued, as to wholly
destroy the Eries. t The Iroquois next made war upon the Andastes, who
resided upon the Susquehanna, and who were the last of the Huron- Iroquois
or Wyandot family that remained unconquered. The Andastes made a brave
and stubborn resistance, but were obliged to yield, in 1675, '^o the superior
numbers of the Iroquois. J
The accounts of the destruction of these ancient Indian nations, we have
mostly from the written riarratives of the Jesuits residing at that time with
the Indians of Canada and New York ; and various traditions are extant
respecting these occurrences. From the extirpation of the Neutral nation
to its settlement by the pioneers of the Holland Purchase, the territory com-
prising Chautauqua county continued to be the home of the Senecas, the
fiercest and most numerous of the Iroquois nation.
La Salle.
The missionaries who came fi:om France were most excellent and able
men. In their zeal to christianize the Indian, they became the pioneers of
the North-west. One of their number, AUouez, in 1665, explored the
and children. After burning 70 of the best warriors, they put out the eyes of the old men,
and cut away their lips, and left them to drag out a miserable existence. Behold the
scourge that is depopulating all this country." — Rdation des Hurons, 1644, 98.
•Jesuits in North America, 436. f Jesuits in North America, 438. J Relation, 1676, 2.
LA SALLE. 27
country about Lake Superior, and taught the Indians there. He first discov-
ered the Pictured Rocks, and learned of the copper mines.* Robert Cave-
lier de La Salle, a resolute and talented young Frenchman, who afterwards
became the proprietor of Fort Frontenac in Canada, and the wilderness
around about it, resolved to explore these regions and the vast prairies of the
West, and to reach the Ohio and Mississippi, of which the Indians had informed
him. July 6, 1669, he left La Chine in Canada, ascended the St. Lawrence,
coasted along the southern shore of Lake Ontario to the Irondequoit Bay,
and thence penetrated into the state of New York, to the Indian villages of
the Senecas, near the Genesee river, with a view of traveling farther in that
direction, until he should reach the head waters of the Allegany and Ohio.
After remaining here awhile, he abandoned this design, and with his com-
panions from thence traveled west, crossed the Niagara river into Upper
Canada, and passed the winter of 1669 and 1670 on Grand river, near to
the shore of Lake Erie. In the spring following, he coasted along the
northern shore of the lake, west, to the east side of Long Point ; and thence
he returned to Montreal by the circuitous route of the Sault de St. Marie and
the Ontario river, where he arrived June 18, 1670.!
In 1673, "Marquette, a missionary, and Joliet, a French citizen of Quebec,
with a few companions, explored the Mississippi, between the mouths of
the Wisconsin and Arkansas ; but before that year La Salle, it is said, made
other wonderful journeys in the West; that he reached the Ohio, and visited
the falls at Louisville, and had even descended the Illinois to its confluence
with the Mississippi. He possessed a most adventurous and enterprising
spirit ; and these journeys aroused in him a desire to make new discoveries
and more extended explorations. He first conceived the design of uniting
the French possessions in Canada with the valley of the Mississippi, by a line
of military posts, to secure its commerce to his country, and at the same time
completely encircle the British colonies in North America. Having obtained
the sanction of Louis XIV. to his projects, in the fall of the year 1678,
he, with a party of Frenchmen, in a large canoe, entered the Niagara river,
and established at its mouth, on its eastern bank, a trading post, which he
inclosed with palisades. This constituted the first occupation of Western
New York by civilized men, and the founding of Fort Niagara — a fortress
which, for nearly a century and a half, filled an important place in the history
of Canada, the northern portion of the United States, and of the Indian
tribes dwelling in that region.
* 2 Hildreth, 110.
t O. H. Marshall, Esq., to whom the author is indebted for the facts respecting this
expedition of La Salle, on a recent visit to France, examined the valuable collections of
unpublished manuscripts relating to early French explorations in America, now in the
possession of M. Pierre Margry, of Paris, and was permitted to make copious extracts
from a. copy of the journal of this expedition of La Salle. An appropriation of $10,000
has been made by Congress for the publication of these recently discovered manuscripts
and maps in M. Margry's possession, which, when issued, will contain many volumes of
great interest to students of American history.
28 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
In January, 1679, La Salle commenced building a vessel at the mouth of
the Cayuga creek, a stream that empties into the Niagara river, at the village of
La Salle, in Niagara county, in the state of New York, a few miles above the
falls. By August it was finished, and completely equipped with sails, masts,
and everything needful, and launched upon the waters of the upper Niagara
river, it was a bark of sixty tons burthen, and was armed with seven small
cannon, and named the Griffin. It was the first vessel that ever spread its
sails to the breezes of Lake Erie.
On the 7th day of August, 1679, La Salle, Tonti, his Italian lieutenant,
and Father Louis Hennepin, and twenty-nine others, in the presence of many
Iroquois warriors, fired all their cannon and arquebuses, and set sail for the
foot of Lake Erie, steering west-south-west ; on that day they made many
leagues, passing Chautauqua county. Hennepin, in his narrative, states that
he saw, on this voyage, the two distant shores of the lake, fifteen or sixteen
leagues apart. They were the first Europeans of whom we have any
account, that beheld the rugged and forest covered hills of Chautauqua.
La Salle continued his voyage until the Griffin cast anchor in Green Bay,
on the north-western coast of Lake Michigan. She was loaded with a cargo
of furs, and sent upon her return voyage, but was never heard of more.
After the departure of the Griffin, La Salle for awhile awaited her return
with a portion of his party, at the mouth of the St. Joseph's river. Cruelly
disappointed, but undismayed, he pushed on into the state of Illinois, where
he built a fort which he called Creve Coeur, in token of his grief. He sent
Hennepin, with two companions, to the Mississippi, which they ascended to
the Falls of St. Anthony. In March, 1680, La Salle, with three campanions,
set out fi'om his fort in Illinois for Fort Frontenac, at the foot of LakeOnta-
rio. Depending upon his gun alone for his supplies, he chose for his route
the ridge of high lands which divide the basin of the Ohio firom that of the
Lakes.
This long journey of nearly one thousand miles through the wildemesf,
he and his companions accomplished on foot. La Salle returned to his fort
in Illinois from Fort Frontenac, with recruits and supphes.. He then
descended the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, and again journeyed back
to Canada, and crossed the sea to France, where his government furnished
him with four vessels, with which he again crossed the ooean, and landed at
the Bay of Matagorda, in the state of Texas. With a, few companions he
traversed Texas, and penetrated as far as New Mexico, where he spent much
of the year 1686, with twenty others. While on his way frorn New
Mexico to Canada, he was assassinated by a treacherous companion. Thus
perished this bold pioneer, who will long be remembered as one of the most
remarkable explorers that ever visited the American continent. To follow
La Salle in his wanderings at this day, with all the modern facilities of
travel, would be regarded as no small achievement.*
* History of the Holland Purchase, 116.
BARON LA HONTAN. 29
Baron La Hontan.
In 1687, Denonville, governor of Canada, with a large party of French
and Indians, landed upon the shore of Lake Ontario, and penetrated into
the territory of the Senecas. He fought a battle with them near the site of
the village of Victor, in the county of Ontario. He afterwards, in the same
year, arrived at Niagara, which, from a trading post, he changed to a sanitary
station, by erecting there a fort of four bastions. But the French were
compelled, the following year, to abandon Niagara, by the hostile Iroquois,
who were then waging a terrible and successful war against them.* Among
the French officers who accompanied Denonville on this expedition, was
Baron La Hontan. This officer, with some Frenchmen, and the returning
western Indian allies of Denonville, departed from Fort Niagara, coasted
along the northern shore of Lake Erie, and arrived at the French post of St.
Joseph. He afterwards joined a party of the western Indians, and invaded
the territory of the Iroquois, south of Lake Erie ; but did not come within
the limits of Chautauqua county. He, however, in his travels obtained
sufficient information to give a very interesting description of Lake Erie and
the country around it, which he saw in 1688. In the course of this account
of the lake, he says :
" Lake Erie is justly dignified with the illustrious name of Conti ; for
assuredly it is the finest upon earth. You may judge of the goodness of the
climate from the latitude of the countries which surround it. Its circum-
ference extends 230 leagues, but it affords everywhere a charming prospect ;
and its shores are decked with oak trees, elms, chestnuts, walnut, apple,
plum trees, and vines which bear their fine clusters up to the very tops of
the trees, upon a sort of ground that lies as smooth as one's hand. Such
ornaments as these are sufficient to give rise to the most agreeable idea of a
landscape in the world. I can not express what quantities of deer and
turkeys are to be found in these woods, and in the vast meadows that lie
upon the south side of the lake. At the foot of the lake we find wild beeves
[buffaloes], on the banks of two pleasant streams that disembogue into it,
without cataracts or rapid currents. It abounds with sturgeon and whitefish,
but trouts are very scarce in it, as well as the other fish that we take in the
Lakes Hurons [Huron] and Illinese [Michigan]. It is clear of shelves,
rocks, and banks of sand, and has fourteen or fifteen fathoms water. The
savages assure us that it is never disturbed by high winds except in the
months of December, January, and February, and even then but seldom,
which I am very apt to believe, for we had very few storms when I wintered
in my fort, in 1688, though the fort lay open to the Lake of Hurons."
There is no doubt, as appears from this extract, that the American bison,
or buffalo, once inhabited these regions. They once ranged in some parts
of the United States, nearly to the Atlantic seaboard. Charlevoix, the
French traveler, says, that in 1720, "there were on the south side of Lake
Erie, a prodigious quantity of buffaloes. "t But we at this day must seek
' I Doc. History of New York.
1 1 Irving's Life of Washington, 335. The River Aux Boeuf, a tributary of French
creek, was so named from the great number of buffaloes there found. — Pa. Hist. Collections.
30 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
the buffalo two thousand miles away in the Far West ! They and their red
brother, the Indian, are fast disappearing. Surely and rapidly are these
lords of the forest and the plain yielding up their once wide domain to the
advance of the encroaching white man, and making their home each year
nearer, and still nearer, to the setting sun.
Indian Occupation.
At first, the Allegany and Ohio were regarded by the French and Indians
as one stream ; Belle Riviere being the name given to it in French ; Alle-
gany in the Delaware tongue ; and Oheeo in the Seneca ; all meaning, when
translated, " fair or beautiful water." The territory lying west of the Alle-
gany mountains, traversed by this river from the southern boundary of New
York to the eastern limits of Ohio, after the destruction of the Neutrals and
the Andastes, fell into the possession of the conquerors, the Iroquois ; and
the Seneca tribe of that nation thereafter planted many colonies there. As
early as 1724, the Monsey or Wolf tribe of the Delawares, who had previ-
ously dwelt in the north-eastern part of Pennsylvania, but had been crowded
out by the encroachments of the whites, were allowed by the Iroquois to
settle along the Allegany. Between the years 1724 and 1728, by their per-
mission, the Shawnees, a restless and warlike people, also located along the
lower Allegany and upper Ohio.
When the first white man reached those wild regions, numerous Indian
villages were found along the Allegany river and its tributaries. At Kittan-
ning was an old Indian town called Cattanyan, which, in September, 1756, at
day break, was surprised by Col. John Armstrong, and burned. The Dela-
ware Indians who occupied it, made a desperate resistance, and thirty or
forty of their number were slain, including their resolute chief, Capt. Jacobs.
Hugh Mercer, who became afterwards a distinguished American general,
and who fell at the battle of Princeton, accompanied Col. Armstrong on this
expedition.
At the mouth of the Mahoning was another Indian village. Where
Franklin is situated, at the mouth of French creek, was the Indian town of
Venango. It was here that the French built a fort which they called
Machault; and where afterwards Washington, when on his journey to La
Boeuf, had the interview with the celebrated Frenchman, Capt. Joncaire.
Near the mouth of the Tionesta were three Monsey villages, called Gosh-
gosh-unk [Cuscusing], where, in 1767, Rev. David Zeisberger, a Moravian
missionary, commenced preaching the gospel to the Indians. He and his
coadjutor, Br. Gotlob Senseman, daily preached to their wild hearers, who
came in great numbers to listen, with faces painted black and vermillion, and
heads decorated with fox tails and feathers. Zeisberger afterwards retired
fifteen miles further up the river, to a place called Lawanakana, near where
Hickory town in Venango county now stands. Here he gathered around
him a little settlement, and built a chapel, and placed in it a bell, the first ever
heard in Venango county, and for two years prosecuted his pious efforts.
INDIAN OCCUPATION. 3 I
Near Irvinton, in Warren county, at the mouth of the Broken Straw,*
was the Indian village of Buckaloons. About five miles above Kinjua,t
extending several miles along the Allegany river, was a large Seneca town,
called Yah-roon-wa-go. Near where once was the centre of this town,
Cornplanter made his residence.
Mrs. Mary Jemison, before her faculties were impaired, imparted much
information to the white men respecting the Indians and some of their settle-
ments in Western New York, She was known by the early settlers as the
"White Woman." She was captured by the Indians in her youth during the
French and Indian wars, and lived with them the remainder of her days.
She died in Buffalo, September 19th, 1833, at a very advanced age, much
esteemed for her goodness and intelligence, by both whites and Indians.
She was so kindly treated by the Indians after her captivity, that she adopted
their customs, and married an Indian husband. In 1759, with her little son
on her back and with her three adopted Indian brothers, she journeyed
through the wilderness from Ohio to Little Beardstown, on the Genesee.
In her account of their journey, she says :
" When we arrived at the mouth of French creek, we hunted two days,
and thence came on to Connewango creek, where we staid eight or ten days,
in consequence of our horses having left us and strayed into the woods.
The horses, however, were found, and we again prepared to resume our
journey. During our stay at that place, the rain fell fast, and had raised the
creek to such a height, that it was seemingly impossible for us to cross it.
A number of times we ventured in, but were compelled to return, barely
escaping with our lives. At length we succeeded in swimming our horses,
and reached the opposite shore, though I and my little boy but just
escaped from being drowned. From Sandusky the path we traveled was
crooked and obscure, but /was tolerably well understood by my oldest
brother, who had traveled it a number of times when going and returning
from the Cherokee wars. The fall by this time was considerably advanced,
and the rains, attended with cold winds, continued daily to increase the
difficulties of traveling. From Connewango we came to a place called by
the Indians Che-na-shun-ga-tan, on the Allegany river, at the mouth of
what is now called Cold Spring creek in the town of Napoli [now Cold
Spring], Cattaraugus county, and from that to Twa-wan-ne-gwan, or
Tu-ne-un-gwan, [which means an eddy not strong], where the early frosts
had destroyed the com, so that the Indians were in danger of starving for
want of bread. Having rested ourselves two days at that place, we came to
Caneadea."
The Indian village of Tu-ne-un-gwan mentioned by Mrs. Jemison, was
situated 18 miles further up the river than Che-na-shun-ga-tan in the town
of Carrollton, Cattaraugus county. The Senecas also settled, at an early
day, near the mouth of the Cattaraugus creek.
At the close of the last century, there were along the Allegan/ and French
* Its Indian name was Hosh-e-nuk-wa-gunk, signifying the place where much broken
straw and other drift stuff are accumulated together. — Alden's Missions, 156.
t Signifying, in the Indian tongue, the place of many fishes.
32 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
creek, scattered through north-western Pennsylvania and south-western New
York, other Indian towns ; but none were then known to have certainly
existed in Chautauqua county. The evidences remained, however, at the
first settlement of the county, of its having not long previously been occu-
-pied at various points by Indians. In 1795, when Col. James McMahan
passed through this county, upon the Judge Prendergast tract on Conne-
wango creek, in the town of Kiantone, there was an Indian camping
ground. There were also to be seen, at the first settlement of the county,
near the mouth of the Kiantone, the forms of com hills, upon lands that
appeared to have once been cleared, and had since grown up to small shrub-
bery of thorns and red plum.*
In November, 1805, when William Bemus first came to the town of Ellery,
at Bemus Point, unmistakable evidences remained, that an Indian settle-
ment had formerly existed there. Where the cemetery is situated, were the
decayed remains and traces of some Indian dwellings, and the evidences
that a large tract of land in the vicinity had formerly been improved. On
Bemus creek were two clearings, each about ten acres in extent, a quarter
of a mile apart. Where these improvements were, wild plum trees grew ;
and there were the remains of brush inclosures, which Wm. Bemus had
repaired, enabling him to secure a crop of grass the first years of his settle-
ment there. Corn hills also were visible, and even potatoes of the lady
finger variety, th^at had been perpetuated from year to year were there still
growing ; some of which were gathered and planted by Wm. Bemus. Be-
low Bemus', at Griffith's Point, were similar signs of Indian occupation. f
After the close of the Revolutionary war, that numerous portion or clan
of the Seneca nation residing along the Allegany and its tributaries, were
under the control of the very able and just war chief Complanter, sometimes
called John O'Beel. The domain of this branch of the Senecas' property
included Chautauqua county; and the rude improvements found here were
the results, probably, of the occupation by these Indians, who undoubtedly,
at some time during the last century, had at least temporary homes within
the county. This clan were often referred to as the Seneca- Abeel; and in
a map published by Reading Howell, 1792, the country of the upper waters
of the Connewango, and of Chautauqua lake, is designated as " O'Beel's
Cayentona." This map is among the Pennsylvania Historical Collections.
In James Ross Snowden's Historical Sketch of Complanter, prepared for the
occasion of the Complanter monument, is the following :
"A solitary traveler, after the close of the Revolutionary war, in 1783,
wandering near the shores of Chautauqua lake, found himself benighted; and
ignorant of the path which should lead him to his place of destination, he
feared he would be compelled to pass the night in the forest, and without
shelter. Btt when the darkness of the night gathered around him, he saw
the light of a distant fire in the woods, to which he bent his steps. Then he
* Judge E. T. Foote. Warren's History of Chautauqua County,
t J. L. Bugbee. See also his sketch of Wm. Bemus,
INDIAN OCCUPATION. 33
found an Indian wigwam, the habitation of a chief with his family. He was
kindly received and hospitably entertained. After a supper of corn and
venison, the traveler returned thanks to God, whose kind Providence had
directed his way, and preserved him in the wilderness. He slept comfort-
ably on the ample bear skins provided by his host.
" In the morning, the Indian invited the traveler to sit beside him on a
large log in front of his cabin. They were seated, side by side. Presently
the Indian told the traveler to move on a little, which he did; and, keeping
by his side, again requested him to move. This was repeated several times.
At length, when near the end of the log, the chief gave an energetic
push, and requested his companion to move further. The traveler remon-
strated, and said, 'I can go no further; if I do, I shall fall off the log.'
' That is the way' said the Indian in reply, 'you white people treat us. When
the United People, the Six Nations, owned the whole land from the lakes to
the great waters, they gave to Corlaer a seat on the Hudson, and to Ouas a
town and land on the Delaware. We have been driven from our lands on
the Mohawk, the Genesee, the Chemung, and the Unadilla. And from our
western door, we have been pushed from the Susquehanna; then over the
great mountains; then beyond the Ohio, the Allegany, and Connewango;
and now we are here on the borders of the great lakes, and a further push
will throw me and my people off the log.' * * * The chief, in conclu-
sion, with a sad and anxious countenance asked the question, ' Where are
we to go?' The only response that was made, was the sighing of the wind
through the leaves of tlie forest ; the traveler was silent."
The traveler above referred to was the Rev. Samuel Kirkland, who, for
many years previous to the Revolutionary war, was a missionary among the
Six Nations, and whose name and services are, during and after the Revolu-
tion, recorded in connection with Indian history.
The Indian villages of North-western Pennsylvania and Western New
York often contained houses sufficiently large to accommodate three or four
families. Adjacent to them were frequently extensive cornfields. Between
these villages, or leading from them to their favorite hunting grounds and
fishing places, were well trodden pathways, several of which passed through
the county of Chautauqua. A broad and well worn Indian trail led from
the Cattaraugus creek, through the lake towns, to the Pennsylvania line.
Another commenced near to the mouth of the Cattaraugus creek, and passed
over the -ridge in Arkwright and Charlotte, at the point of its lowest eleva-
tion ; and through Charlotte Center and Sinclairville, and southerly in the
direction of the Indian towns on the Allegany river. This trail had the
appearance of much use ; the roots of the trees along its margin were marred,
and calloused ; and at certain points it was worn deeply into the ground..
It was used by the early settlers as a highway or bridle path, in going from the
center to the north-eastern part of the county, and also by the Indians sub-
sequently to the settlement of the county. Still another Indian path com-
menced at the Indian settlement, near the mouth of the Cattaraugus creek,
and passed down the Connewango valley, through the eastern parts of the
to^vns of Hanover, Villenova, Cherry Creek, and Ellington. This path was
3
34 HISTORY OF. CHAUTUAQUA COUNTY.
used by white men in the settlement of these towns, and by the Indians
subsequently to the settlement of the county.
AH the region lying west of Blue Ridge, and east of the Wabash, which
included within its limits Chautauqua county, remained unexplored and
almost unknown to Europeans, until nearly as late as the year 1750 ; for the
outermost Hmits of the back settlements of the English colonies of Virginia
and Pennsylvania only extended as far west as the Blue Ridge. Either the
French had been excluded from here by the fierce and warlike Senecas, who
were their implacable foes, or their enterprise had not yet led them in this
direction ; and prior to this time, the points occupied by civilized men in the
West were mostly mere trading posts, and the forests were only traversed
by traders and missionaries. Chautauqua county, and the adjacent regions,
not being in the route of their travel, were barely known, and were untrav-
ersed except by bands of Indians in their hostile excursions. The French
officer La Hontan says :
" The banks of this lake [Erie] are commonly frequented by none but
warriors, whether the Iroquois, the Illinese, the Oumiamies, etc. ; and it is
very dangerous to stop there. By this means it comes to pass, that the stags,
roebucks, and turkeys run in great bodies up and down the shore, all around
the lake. In former times the Errionons and the Andastogueronons lived
upon the confines of the lake ; but they were extirpated by the Iroquois, as
well as the other nations marked on the map."*
Events leading to the French and Indian Wars.
The boundary line between the French and English possessions in
America had long been a cause for earnest contention. The French
claimed dominion to all the country lying west of the Allegany mountains.
The English also claimed the territory westward of their colonies to the
Pacific Ocean. The territory of Chautauqua county was included in these
disputed regions ; and as a consequence of this controversy, it was soon
brought nearer to the scene of prominent military operations, and in close
proximity to important lines of communication, or rough military highways
leading firom distant military posts in this then interminable western wilder-
ness. Communications between the French posts on the Mississippi river,
and the French forts and settlements in Canada, were at first maintained by
the long and circuitous route of the Mississippi, Green Bay, and the Ottawa^
and afterwards by Lake Michigan and the lUinois ; and at a still later period
by the way of the Maumee and the Wabash. The direct and easy commu-
nication that could be had between Canada and the Mississippi, by the way
of Lake Erie and the short portage of Chautauqua lake, or over that from
Presque Isle [Erie] to French creek, and the upper waters of the Ohio, seems
for a long time to have been unknown to the French ; but events of an
important character as affecting this part of the world, and also the history
of that of the two most powerful nations of Europe, were destined soon to
* La Hontan's Voyages.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME CHAUTAUQUA. 35
introduce this region to the notice both of the French and the English.
The latter, in 1722, established a trading post at Oswego, and, a little later,
built there a fort. The French, to enable them to command communication
•with the West, thereupon, in 1725, reoccupied and reconstructed Fort Niag-
ara, which had been deserted for over thirty-five years, and made it a strong
fortress, and which thereafter became the scene of exciting military events.
In 1749, the two rival countries proceeded stiU more directly to assert
their rights to the territory l)fing west of the Alleganies. The English gov-
ernment granted five hundred thousand acres of land on the Ohio to the
Ohio CoRipany, which included persons in London, Maryland and Virginia
as its members, among whom were Lawrence and Augustine Washington.
The objects of this company were the settlement of this territory, and to
establish a trade with the Indians. The French, the same year, sent from
Detroit Capt. De Celeron, with three hundred men to march east to the
Allegany mountains, to take formal possession of this territory, and to warn
the .English traders out of the country. He performed the task, and de-
posited at important points leaden plates, with the arms of France engraved.
Three of these have been found, we are told ; one at Marietta, one at the
mouth of the Big Kanawha, and one at the mouth of French creek. The
following is a translation of the inscription upon one of these plates, which
was obtained by artifice from Joncaire, the French interpreter, by the Sene-
cas, and delivered to Sir William Johnson, who forwarded it to Governor
Clinton :
"In the year 1749, during the reign of Louis XV., King of France, we,
Celoron, commander of a detachment sent by Monsieur the Marquis De la
Galissonire, commander in chief of Ne# France, for the restoration of tran-
quillity in some villages of Indians of these districts, have buried this plate
at the confluence of the Ohio and Tchadakoin, this 29th day of July, near
the river Ohio, otherwise Beautiful River, as a monument of the renewal of
possession which we have taken of the said river Ohio, and of all those that
therein fall, and all the lands on both sides as far as the sources of the said
rivers, as enjoyed or ought to be enjoyed by the preceding Kings of France,
and as they therein have maintained themselves by arms, and by treaties,
especially by those of Riswick, of Utrecht, and of Aix-la-Chapelle."*
Origin of the Name Chautauqua.
The name Ohio, or La Belle Riviere, was applied by the French to that
portion of the Allegany, extending up from Pittsburgh as far, at least, as
Franklin, as well as to the Ohio proper. It is probable that the Connewango,
Chautauqua lake and outlet, and perhaps that part of the Allegany below the
mouth of the Connewango to Franklin, were called by the French the Tchad-
akoin, as inscribed upon this leaden plate, and that, in process of time, this
appellation was retained only by the lake. The word underwent various
changes in its orthography also, until it came to be spelled Chautauqua. On
a manuscript map of 1 749, made by a Jesuit in the Department de la Marine
*9 Doc. Colonial Hist, of N. Y., pp. 610-11.
36 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
in Paris, it is spelled "Tjadakoin,'' and the Chautauqua creek that empties
into Lake Erie in the town of Westfield, is called the Riviere Aux Pomes, or
Apple river. In the translations of the letters of Du Quesne, [pronounced
Du Kane\, governor-general of Canada, to the French government in 1753,
found in vol. 10 of Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the
State of New York, it is spelled " Chataconit." In Stephen Coffin's affidavit,
sworn to before Sir William Johnson in 1754, " Chadakoin." In the French
of Capt. Pouchot, in his history of the French and English war in North
America, written before the American Revolution, and in the map accom-
panying it, the name of the lake is spelled ^^Shatacoin." On Pownell's map
of 1776, and Lewis Evans' of 1755, it is written " Jadaxque." Gen. Wm.
Irvine, who visited Chautauqua prior to 1788, writes it ''■ Jadaqua." On the
map made by the Holland Land Company in 1804, it is " Chataughque."
After the settlement of the county, until the year 1859, it was spelled
" Chautauque," when, by a resolution of the Board of Supervisors, passed
October nth of that year, at the suggestion of Hon. E. T. Foote, it was
changed to "Chautauqua," that its pronunciation might conform to the pro-
nunciation of the word by the Indians, at the time of the first settlement
of the county.*
Various significations have been attributed to the word Chautauqua.
Among others, it is said to mean, " the place where one was lost," or the
"place of easy death,'' in allusion to a tradition of the Senecas. Com-
planter, in his celebrated speech against the title, of the Phelps and Gorham .
tract, alluding to this tradition, says : " In this case one chief has said he
would ask you to put him out of pain : another who will not think of dying
by the hand of his father or his brbther, has said he will retire to ' Chaud-
dauk-wa,' eat of the fatal root, and sleep with his fathers in peace."t
Dr. Peter WUson, an educated Cayuga chief, communicated to O. H.
Marshall, Esq., the following Seneca tradition : " A party of Senecas
returning from the Ohio in the spring of the year, ascended the outlet of
Chautauqua lake, passed into the lake, and while paddling through it, caught
a fish of a kind with which they were not familiar, and they threw it into the
bottom of their canoe. Reaching the head of the lake, they made a portage
across to the Chautauqua creek, then swollen with the spring freshets.
Descending the creek into Lake Erie, they found, to their astonishment, the
fish still alive. They threw it into the lake, and it disappeared. In process
of time the same fish appeared abundantly in the lake, having never been
caught in it before. They concluded they all sprang from the Chautauqua
lake progenitor, and hence they named that Lake, " G^a-ja-dah'-gwah, com-
pounded of two Seneca words Ga-iaJi, " fish," and Ga-dah'-gwah " taken
* No one now living has been longer or more prominently identified with this county
during its early years, and consequently none more familiar with its early settlers and its
history, than Judge Foote ; and no one has contributed so much in time and money, or
has been more solicitous to preserve the facts connected with its early history than he.
+ See Alden's Missions, p. 169. Also Morgan's League of the Iroquois.
THE PORTAGE ROAD. ^^
out." In process of time the word became contracted into Jah-dah-gwah ;
the prefix Ga being dropped, as is often the case."*
Other meanings have been assigned to the word. Chautauqua has been
said to signify " foggy place," in allusion to the mist arising from the lake ;
also to mean " high up," referring to the elevated situation of the lake ;
while it is said that Horatio Jones and Jasper Parrish, early Indian interpre-
ters, well versed in the Seneca tongue^ gave its meaning to be "a pack tied
in the middle '' or " two moccasins fastened together," from the resemblance
of the lake to those objects.
The following lines and note are from the pen of Col. Wm. H. C. Hosmer,
of Avon :
" Famous in the days of yore, But the music of her tread
Bright Ja-da-qua ! was thy shore, Made the prophet shake his head,
And the stranger treasures yet For the mark of early doom
Pebbles that thy waves have wet ; He had seen through beauty bloom.
For they catch an added glow
From a tale of long ago. " When a fragrant wreath was made,
Ere the settler's flashing steel Round her brow she clasped the braid ;
Rang the greenwood's funeral peal, When her roving eye, alas !
Or the plow-share in the vale Flowering in the summer grass.
Blotted out the red man's trail. Did the fatal plant behold,
And she plucked it from the mould ;
" Deadly was the plant that grew ^^ ''if ^""^'f '°°^/^^ ^'^'
Near thy sheet of glimmering blue, ^nd her peril leame-1 too late.
But the mystic leaves were known Flymg fast her thirst to slake
To our wandering tribe alone. ^^"^ '^y «'»^^> «"=hantmg lake.
Sweeter far than honeyed fruit << Then was gained the treacherous brink.
Of the wild plum was its root ; Stooped O-wa-na dawn to drink ;
But the smallest morsel cursed xhen the waters, calm before.
Those who tasted, wuh a thirst Waking, burst upon the shore ;
That impelled them to leap down And the maid was seen no more.
In thy cooling depth, and drown. Azure glass ! in emeralds framed.
Since that hour Ja-da-qua named,
" On thy banks, in other hours. Or 'the place of easy death,'
Sat O-VVA-NA wreathing flowers. When I pant with failing breath.
And, with whortleberries sweet, I will eat the root that grows
Filled were baskets at her feet. On thy banks, and find repose
Nature to a form of grace With the loveliest of our daughters
Had allied a faultless face ; In thy blue engulfing waters. "
"These lines allude to a beautiful Seneca tradition that lends an added charm to Chau-
tauqua lake, in the state of New York. A young squaw is said to have eaten of =1 root
growing on its banks, which created tormenting thirst. To slake it she stooped down to
drink of its clear waters, and disappeared for ever. Hence the name of the lake Ja-da-
QUA, or the place of easy death, where one disappears and is seen no more." [See I vol.
Hosmer's Poems, 225, 373.]
• The Portage Road.
The Marquis Dii Quesne, having been appointed governor-general of
Canada, arrived there in 1752. The measures taken by him in behalf of
* Dr. Wilson (now deceased) is regarded as good authority upon this subject. Of him
Mr. Marshall says : " He had a great love for the traditional annals of his people, a very
critical knowledge of the Seneca language, now reduced to a written system. Besides, he
enjoyed the advantage of an English education, having graduated with honor at the Gene-
see Medical College, and practiced medicine with success among the Indians.
" The word ' Shatacoin,' if properly pronounced in French would give the identical word
given by Dr. Wilson in the tradition."
38 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
the French to obtain possession of the disputed territory, were of a more
open and decisive character than those of any officer who had preceded him.
Soon after his arrival, he commenced preparations to construct the long line
of frontier forts, which had been first suggested by La Salle, and which the
French, for so many years, had in contemplation, that were to unite Canada
with Louisiana, by the way of the Ohio. The first step taken towards this
bold project, may be regarded as leading directly to one of the most
memorable wars of modern times, known in this country as the French and
Indian war ; which resulted in divesting the French of Canada, and of the
greater part of their possessions in America. This war also extended, with
great results, over continental Europe, and even to Asia and Africa.
The first act of Du Quesne was to open a portage road from Erie to
La Boeuf, on French creek ; and also the same season to open another road
from the mouth of the Chautauqua creek, near Barcelona, to the head of
Chautauqua lake, at Mayville ; and thus open communication between Lake
Erie and the head-waters of the Ohio. Du Quesne, in the fall of 1752,
rendered an account of the arrangements that he had made, in a letter to the
French Minister of the Marine and Colonies, in Paris, in which he stated
that he would begin his posts at a point near Barcelona in this county, and
at the mouth of the Chautauqua creek, which he called Chat-a-co-nit. It is
evident from this correspondence, that Du Quesne fully believed, from the
information that he had, that the carrying place between this point and the
head of Chautauqua lake, was the shortest and most practicable that could
be found between the waters of the lakes and the Ohio, and that the carrying
place between Erie and La Boeuf was discovered afterwards. The import-
ance that Du Quesne attached to the selection of the best carrying place
between these waters, is evident from the language used by him in his
communications to the French government.
Du Quesne, during the winter, completed his preparations, which were
hastened by false reports received from Joncaire, that the English had
actually settled upon French creek, and at the junction of the Connewango
with the Allegany, where Warren is now situated ; which the French and
Indians then called Chinengue. He in the early spring dispatched, firom
Montreal, an advance force of two hundred and fifty men, under Monsieur
Barbeer, for Chautauqfta, with orders to fell and prepare timber for the build-
ing of a fort there.* Barbeer and his command pursued their winter march
over land and ice to Fort Niagara, pausing on their way to refresh thftn-
selves at Cadaraqua fort and at Toronto. They remained at Fort Niagara
* The following account of the operations of the French during the spring and summer
of 1 753, we have mainly from an affidavit made before Sir William Johnson by Stephen
Coifen, who was taken prisoner by the French and Indians in 1 747, and detained in Lower
Canada until January, 1752, when he was allowed to join the command of Barbeer in this
expedition to the Ohio river. On the return of the French forces in the fall of that year,
the troops became fatigued from rowing all night upon Lake Ontario, and were ordered to
put ashore within a mile of the mouth of the Oswego river for breakfast, when Coffen and
a Frenchman escaped to the English fort of Oswego.
THE PORTAGE ROAD. 39
until the warmth of the early spring had sufficiently removed the ice from
Lake Erie, and then pursued their way by water along the shore of the lake,
arriving at the mouth of the Chautauqua creek in the month of April, 1753.
What progress Barbeer made in complying with the instructions given him
by Du Quesne, to fell and prepare timber for a fort there, we are not in-
formed. Sieur Marin, to whom was assigned the chief command of all the
forces of France, operating in the country of the Ohio, having arrived with a
larger force, consisting of five hundred soldiers and twenty Indians, put a
stop to the building of the fort, as he did not like the situation, believing
the river of Chadekoins, as the outlet of Chautauqua lake was called, too
shallow to carry craft with provisions to the Ohio river. An altercation
ensued; Barbeer insisting either upon building the fort according to his in-
structions, or that Marin should give him a writing that would justify him in
the eyes of the governor. Marin finally complied with Barbeer's demand,
and gave him such a writing, and then dispatched Chevalier Le Mercier, a
captain of artillery, and an able officer, to whom was assigned the duties of
engineer for the expedition, to explore the shore for a better point of depart-
ure from the lake. After an absence of three days, Le Mercier returned to
Chautauqua, and reported that about fifteen leagues to the south-west he
had discovered a harbor where boats could enter with perfect safety, and
that it was a most favorable point for their purpose.
The French immediately repaired thither, and upon their arrival found
twenty Indians fishing in the lake, who fled on their approach. Here the
French built a fort one hundred and twenty feet square, and fifteen feet
high, of chestnut logs. It had a gate on the north and south sides, but
no port holes. The French called it Fort Presque Isle. It stood where
now is situated the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. Upon the completion of this
fort, Marin left there Captain Derpontcy, with one hundred men to garrison
it, and immediately cut a wagon road to the southward, through a fine level
country, twenty-one miles to a point on the river La Boeuf, the present site
of Waterford, Erie county. Pa. Faint traces of this wagon road are still visible
not far from the city of Erie. They built at Waterford, of wood, a tri-
angular stockaded fort, within which two log houses were erected. While
building this fort, Marin sent Monsieur Bite with fifty men to the Allegany
river, where French creek empties into it, and Marin built ninety boats or
batteaux, to carry down the baggage and provisions. Bite returned and
reported the situation good, but the river too low at that time for boats ; and
also that the Indians had forbid the building of the fort. When the fort
Aux Boeufs was completed, Marin ordered all his forces to return to Canada,
to remain there through the winter, excepting three hundred men, which
were retained to garrison the two forts he had built, and to prepare materials
for the building of other forts in the next spring. He also sent Coeur, an
officer and interpreter, to stay during the winter among the Indians on the
Ohio, and to persuade them not only to permit the building of forts, but to
join the French against the English.
40 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
About eight days before the French took their departure from Presque Isle,
ChevaUer Le Crake arrived express from Canada, in a birch canoe, propelled
by ten men, with orders from Du Quesne to make all preparations to build,
the succeeding spring, two forts in Chautauqua ; one at Lake Erie, and one at
the end of the carrying place on Chautauqua lake. On the 28th of October,
about four hundred and forty French, under Captain Ueneman, set out from
Presque Isle for Canada, in twenty-two batteaux ; followed in a few days by
seven hundred and sixty men, being all the remainder of the French that
were not left to garriion the forts they had built in Pennsylvania. On the
30th of October, 1753, they arrived at Chautauqua, probably at or near
Barcelona. Here, within this county, this army remained encamped for four
days, during which time two hundred of their number, under Monsieur Pdan,
cut the wagon road over the carrying place, from Lake Erie to Chautauqua
lake.*
The French pronounced themselves satisfied with this route, and on the
3d of November set out for Canada, arriving at Niagara on the 6th. f
Besides the two hundred and fifty men composing the advance force under
Barbeer, and the five hundred that soon afterwards came up under Marin,
there came afterwards, during the season, other bodies of troops from Can-
ada, \\ith stores ; making the whole number of French engaged in this
expedition, 1,500 men. Nine pieces of artillery were brought with them,
all of which were left in Fort Le Boeuf, where Marin commanded. These
constitute the operations of the French in the year 1753, in this remote
wilderness ; and they were deemed of great importance, even in Paris, as
sufficiently appears in the correspondence between the French officials
respecting them. To furnish an army of 1,500 men with supplies and
munitions, and send them from Montreal, itself but a fortress in the depths
of the forest, still farther to the west, through an untraversed wilderness,
over inland seas, a distance of 500 miles, to these wild and almost unknown
regions, was an enterprise then regarded as of no small magnitude, even by
a government as powerful as France.
The difficulties experienced by the French in pushing forward this expe-
dition, as well as many other interesting particulars respecting it, are set
* " Hugues Pean was a native of Canada ; his father had been adjutant, or town major
of Quebec ; a situation to which the son succeeded, on the arrival of M. de Jonquire. His
wife was young, spiritual, mild, and obliging, and her conversation amusing ; she succeeded
in obtaining considerable influence over the intendant M. Bigot, who went regularly to
spend his evenings with her. She became at length the channel through which the public
patronage Bowed. P&n in a short time saw himself worth fifty thousand crowns. Bigot,
the intendant, requiring a large supply of wheat, gave Pean the contract, and even advanced
him money from the treasury, with which the wheat was bought. The intendant next
issued an ordinance, fixing the price of wheat much higher than Pean purchased it. The
latter delivered it to the government, at the price fixed by the ordinance, whereby he real-
ized immense profit, obtained a seigniory, and became very wealthy." — Collections of
Quebec Literary and historical Society, 1838, page 68. " He was afterwards created a
Knight of St. Louis." — Smith's Canada, I., page 221.
1 10 Colonial Hist, of N. Y.
THE PORTAGE ROAD. 4 1
forth in a letter bearing date August 20, 1753, from Du Quesne to M. de
Rouille, the French Minister of Marine and Colonies, in which he says :*
" My Lord :
" I have the honor to inform you that I have been obliged to alter the
arrangement I had made, whereof I rendered you an account last fall.
" You will see, my Lord, by the extract of the journal hereto annexed,
the reasons which compelled me to reduce to almost one half, the vanguard
that I informed you consisted of 400 men, and those that determined me to
prefer landing the troops at the harbor of Presque Isle on Lake Erie, which
I very fortunately discovered, instead of Chataconit, where, I informed you,
I would begin my posts.
" This discovery is so much more propitious, as it is a harbor which the
largest barks can enter loaded, and be in perfect safety. I am informed that
the beach, the soil, and the resources of all sorts, were the same as repre-
sented to me.
" The plan I send you of this place is only a rough sketch until it is
corrected. I have given orders that this be proceeded with.
"The letter I received on the 12th of January last from M. de Joncaire,
has obliged me to force to obtain provisions from the farmers, to enable me
to oppose the projects of the English, who, he advised me, had sent smiths
to Chinenguef and the river Aux Boeuf, where they were even settled ; and
that there was a terrible excitement among the Indians, who looked upon it
as certain that the English would be firmly settled there in the course of this
year, not imagining that my forces were capable of opposing them. This
fear, which made me attempt the impossible, has had hitherto the most com-
plete success. All the provisions have arrived from without, after a delay of
fifteen days, and I had them transported with all imaginable diligence, into
a country so full of difficulties, in consequence of the great number of
voyageurs which I required to ascend the rapids, the race of which is getting
scarce.
" I was not long in perceiving that this movement made a considerable
impression on the Indians ; and what has thrown more consternation among
them is, that I had no recourse to them ; for I contented myself with telling
our domiciliated tribes, that if there were eight or ten from each village who
had the curiosity to witness my operations, I would permit them to follow
Sieur Marin, the commander of the detachment, whom they were well
acquainted with, and in whom they have confidence. Of 200 whom I pro-
posed to send forward, only 70 are sufficient for scouts and hunters.
" All the natives that came down to sep me from the upper country, and
who met the multitude of batteaux and canoes which were conveying the
men and effects belonging to the detachment, presented themselves all
trembling before me, and told me that they were aware of my power by the
swarm of men they had passed, and begged me to have pity on them, their
wives, and their children. I took advantage of their terror to speak to them
in a firm tone and menacing the first that would falter ; and instead of a
month or five weeks that they were accustomed to remain here consuming
the King's provisions, I got rid of them on the fourth day.
" It appears up to this time, that the execution of the plan of my enter-
* 10 Doc. relating to Colonial Hist, of N. Y.
t Chinengue, or Shenango, is laid down in Mitchelfs map at the junction of the Conne-
wango and Allegany, where Warren is now situated.
42 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
prise makes so strong an impression on the natives, that all the vagabonds
who had taken refuge on the Beautiful River, have returned to their village.
" I keep the five nations much embarrassed because they have not come
down to Montreal, and the only step they have taken has been to send the
ladies (dames) of their council to Sieur Marin to inquire of him by a belt,
whether he was marching with the hatchet uplifted. He told them that he
bore it aloft, in order that no person should be ignorant of the fact ; but
as for the present, his orders were to use it only in case he encountered op-
position to my will ; that my intention was to support and assist them in
their necessities, and tO drive away the evil spirits that encompassed them,
and that disturbed the earth.
" I was aware that the English of Philadelphia had invited them to general
council, and that they had refused to attend to it. Further, I knew from
a man worthy of crecfit, who happened to be among these Indians when the
English arrived, that they had rejected the belts which had been offered to
oppose the entrance of the King's troops into the river Ohio, since they had
sold it to the English. They answered that they would not meddle with my
afiairs, and that they would look quietly on, from their mats, persuaded as
they were, that my proceedings had no other object than to give a clear sky
to a country which served as a refuge for assassins who had reddened the
ground with their blood.
" This nation, which possesses a superior government to all others, allowed
itself to be dazzled by continued presents, and did not perceive that the
English are hemming it in, so that if it do not shake off their yoke 'twill
soon be enslaved. I shall lead them to make this reflection, in order to in-
duce them to pull down Choneganen, which is destroying them and will be
the ruin of the colony.
" Should we have had to use reprisals, I would soon have taken that post.
I have already forwarded to Fort Frontenac, the artillery and everything
necessary to this coup de main.
" Sieur Marin writes me on the 3d instant, that the fort at Presque.Isle is
entirely finished ; that the Portage road, which is six leagues in length, is also
ready for carriages ; that the store which was necessary to be built half way
across this Portage, is in a condition to receive the supplies, and that the
second fort, which is located at the mouth of the river Aux Boeuf, will soon
be completed.
"This commandant informs me, moreover, that he is having some
pirogues constructed ; whilst men are actually employed in transporting his
stores; and he tells me that all t^e Delawares, Chauonanons [Shawnees]
and Senecas, on the Beautiful River, had come to meet him, and that he had
so well received them, that they were very zealously assisting with their
horses that they have brought along with them in making the portage.
" There has not been, up to the present time, the least impediment to the
considerable movements I have caused to be made ; everything arrived at its
destination with greater celerity than I anticipated; and among the prodigi-
ous number of batteaux or canoes that have passed the rapids, only one has
upset, drowning seven men.
"As it is impossible in a movement as vast as it was precipitous for this
country, that some of the provisions should be spoiled in open craft, despite
all the precautions that could be taken, I have sent on as much as was
necessary to repair the loss.
THE PORTAGE ROAD. 43
" Everything announces, ray Lord, the successful execution of my project,
unless some unforeseen accident has occurred ; and the only anxiety I feel is,
that the River Aux Boeuf portage will delay the entrance of our troops into
the Beautiful River, as it is long, and there is considerable to carry, and the
horses I have sent thither have arrived there exhausted by fatigue. But I
hope this will be obviated by those the Indians have brought thither, and
that the mildness of the 'climate will admit of the completion of the posts.
The extreme boldness with which I have executed a project of so much
importance, has caused me the Uveliest inquietude ; the famine which met
me on my arrival at Quebec having reduced me, forwarding only 900 barrels
of flour as the whole supply.
"From the knowledge I have acquired this winter, I would have composed
my vanguard of 700 men, had I had an entrepot of provisions at Niagara,
because that body of men would have assuredly advanced to the portage,
which I was desirous of occupying ; having to fear some opposition on the
part of the Indians of the Beautiful River at the instigation of the English,
my plan having been discovered, and bruited abroad since M. de la Jonquire's
death, in consequence of the explorations that I caused to be made by some
bark canoes, notwithstanding the color I wished to give these movements.
" I leave you to judge, my Lord, the trouble of mind I felt at the reduc-
tion of this vangimrd to 250 men, which I was obliged to send like what is
called in the army a forlorn hope, when dispatched to explore a work. On
the other hand, I should proceed at a snail's pace could I continue my
operations only with the assistance derived from the sea, the inconveniences
of which I understood. In fine, my Lord, if there be any merit in doing
anything contrary to the prudence of a person of my age, who has not the
reputation of being devoid of that virtue, the enterprise in question would
be entitled to very great credit ; but necessity having constrained me to it, I
do not adopt it, and attribute its success to singular good fortune which I
would not for all the world attempt again.
" The discovery I have made of the harbor of Presque Isle, which is
regarded as the finest spot in Nature, has determined me to send a royal
assistant pilot to search around the Niagara rapids for some place where a
bark could remain to take in its load. Nothing would be of greater advan-
tage in the saving of transport, and the security of the property of the new
posts and of Detroit ; but it is necessary to find a good bottom, so that the
anchors may hold ; for it could safely winter at Presque Isle, where it would
be as it were in a box. I impatiently await the return of this pilot, and I
would be much flattered could I be able to announce to you in my latest
dispatches, that I have ordered the construction of this vessel.
" I must not leave you ignorant, my Lord, how much I am pleased with
Sieur Marin, the commander of the detachmentj and Major P^an. The
former, who has an experienced capacity, manages the Indians as he pleases ;
and he has, at his age, the same zeal and activity as any young officer that may
enter the service. The second is endowed with all the talent imaginable
for detail and resources, and knows no other occupation than that of accom-
plishing the object he is intrusted with. He alone had charge of dispatch-
ing all the canoes and batteaux, and acquitted himself of that duty with
great order. Chevalier Le Mercier, to whom I assigned the duties of engi-
neer, and who is also intrusted with the distribution of the provisions, is an
officer possessing the rarest talent. Sieur Marin expresses himself to me in
44 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
the highest terms of all those who are under his orders, and who vie with
each other in diligence.
" I am, with the most profound respect, my Lord,
" Your most humble and most obedient servant,
"DU QUESNE."
This Portage road was cut by the French from Lake Erie to Chautauqua
lake more than twenty years before the battle of Lexington, and was the
first work performed by civilized hands within the limits of Chautauqua
county, of which we are informed. It was known by the early settlers of the
county, as the Old Portage or French road, and was one of the first highways
of the county over which, in early days, much merchandise, including large
amounts of salt from Onondaga county, were annually transported to
Pittsburgh, and places on the river below.
The Portage road commenced on the west bank of Chautauqua creek, a
little distance from its mouth, in the town of Westfield. Thence it passed
up, on the west side of the creek, crossing the present Erie road at the Old
McHeniy tavern, where the historical monument stands, to a point above the
woolen factory, about a mile from Westfield. Here the road crossed the
creek ; still further on it crossed the present road leadin^from Mayville to
Westfield, and continued most of the distance fey the remainder of the way,
on the east side of the present road, and terminated at the foot of Main
street in Mayville. The original track and remains of the old log bridges
were plainly to be seen as late as the year 1817 ; and even traces of this
road remain to this day. Judge William Peacock, of Mayville, passed over
this Portage road as early as July, 1800. He followed it from the mouth of
Chautauqua creek, three miles up its west bank, and thence over the hills to
Chautauqua lake. The road then had the appearance of having been used
in former times. The underbrush had been cut out ; and where this road
crossed the Chautauqua creek, about three miles from its mouth, the banks
upon each side had been dug away, to admit a passage across the stream.
Towards Mayville, and near the summit of the hills, at a low wet place, a
causeway had been constructed of logs. Over this point the present high-
way from Mayville to Westfield now passes. At the foot of Main street in
Mayville, where the Portage terminated, was a circular piece of mason work
of stone laid in sand and mortar, three or four feet high, and three or four
feet in diameter. It was constructed, as Judge Peacock conjectured, for the
purpose of cooking food. A piece of mason work, precisely like this in
every respect, he saw standing at the other end of the Portage, at the mouth
of the Chautauqua creek, opposite Barcelona. This mason work was seen
as late as 1802 by William Bell, who, for over seventy years, resided in
Westfield.*
The operations of the French in the West, during the spring and summer
of 1753, were watched with interest and indignation by the English. Capt.
Stodart wrote a letter to Col. William Johnson on the 15th of May, 1753, firom
* See the Extract from Sir William Johnson's Journal, fast.
• THE FRENCH WAR. 45
Oswego, informing him that over thirty French canoes, carrying a part of the
French army, had passed them the day before for the Ohio ; also that he was
informed by a Frenchman, who was on his way to Cajocka [probably Chau-
tauqua], that the French under Marin were about" to build forts at places
convenient for them; "that one fort was to be built at Ka-sa-no-tia-yo-go "
[a carrying place], and another at Diontarogo.* A copy of this letter was
forwarded by Col. Johnson to Governor Clinton.
Washington's Journey to French Creek.*
When information reached Governor Dinwiddie, of Virginia, of these
proceedings by the French, he determined to ascertain their purpose, and to
induce them to abandon their claim upon the valley of the Ohio. He ac-
cordingly dispatched George Washington, then but twenty-two years of age,
who set out from Williamsburgh, in Virginia, on the 30th day of October,
1753, and arrived at the place where Pittsburgh now stands, about three
weeks afterwards. He then proceeded to Venango, where he arrived on the
4th of December, and had an interview with the celebrated Capt. Joncaire,
but obtained no satisfaction. From Venango he pushed on up the French
creek, to the post the French had established at Le Boeuf, now Waterford,
where he arrived the nth of December, 1753. The fort he found situated
on the island on the west fork of French creek. It consisted of four houses,
forming a square, defended by bastions made of palisades twelve feet high,
pierced for cannon and small arms. Within the bastions were a guard-house
and other buildings. Outside were stables, a smith forge, and a log house
for soldiers. Washington found that the French were preparing at this place
many pine boats and bark canoes to be ready in the spring, to descend and
destroy the English posts on the Ohio river. Here Washington, over one
hundred and twenty years ago, spent five anxious days, within but fourteen
miles from the town of French Creek, in Chautauqua county, negotiating
with the French commandant, St. Pierre. Having finished his business with
the French, Washington set out on the i6th of December to return. His
long journey through the wilderness was beset by many difficulties and dan-
gers. French creek and the Allegany river were swollen and full of floating
ice ; the snows were deep, and the cold intense. He arrived at Williams-
burgh, January i6th, 1754; having performed a toilsome and perilous jour-
ney of eight hundred miles, in two and one half months.
The French War.
Immediately after Washington's return, the Ohio Company sent Captain
Trent and a small body of men, to the junction of the Allegany with the
Monongahela, where Pittsburgh is now situated. He arrived there in Feb-
ruary, 1754, and commenced laying the foundations of a fort, which was
completed prior to April 17th, 1754. This was the first occupation of the
territory where Pittsburgh now stands. Against this post the French imme-
*7 Doc. relating to the Col. Hist, of N. Y., 779.
46 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
diately dispatched a formidable expedition, which was in fact the first war-
like demonstration made in the French war. Monsieur Contrecoeur, then
the commander in chief of the French on the Beautiful River, at the head of
i,ooo French and Indians, with 18 pieces of cannon, in 60 batteaux and
200 canoes, descended the Allegany, and arrived at Pittsburgh on the 16th
of April, 1754, and summoned the English commandant Ward to surrender.
He having but forty men to defend his unfinished stockade, was obliged to
comply with the demand.* This affair is memorable, from the fact that it
was the first blow struck in the great wars that followed in Europe and
America.
The Portage road from Barcelona to Mayville, it has been seen, was cut
late in the preceding fall, with a distinct view to its future use. This expe-
dition was the first movement made by the French in the spring following ;
and it is probable, as but few French remained at Le Boeuf and Presque
Isle during the winter, that a large part of this force had to be drawn that
season from Canada ; and that a portion of it may have passed over Chau-
tauqua lake. This portage may have been used by the French and Indians
in other warlike expeditions. Pouchot, the officer who commanded the
French at Fort Niagara when it surrendered to Sir William Johnson, wrote a
history of the French and Indian war in North America, in which he says :
" The river of Chatacoin is the first that communicates from Lake Erie to
the Ohio ; and it was by this that they [the FrencK\ went in early times when
they made a journey to that part. The navigation is always made in a canoe,
on account of the small amount of water in this river. It is only, in fact,
when there is a freshet, that they can pass, and then with difficulty, which
makes them prefer the navigation of the river Aux Boeuf, of which the
entrepot is the fort of Presque Isle."+
Sir William Johnson, in 1761, journeyed to Detroit by the command of
Gen. Amherst, to establish a treaty with the Ottawa confederacy, to regulate
the trade at the several posts in the Indian country. On his return, he
coasted along the south shore of Lake Erie. In his journal of this journey
is the following reference to this portage, with other interesting particulars :
"Wednesday, October ist [1761], embarked [at Presque Isle], at 7 o'clock,
with the wind strong ahead — continued so all the day, notwithstanding it
improved all day, and got to Jadaghque creek and carryifig place, which is a
fine harbor and encampment It is very dangerous from Presque Isle here,
being a prodigious steep, rocky bank all the way, except two or three creeks
and small beaches, where are very beautiful streams of water or springs which
tumble down the rocks. We came about forty miles this day. The fire was
burning where Captain Cochran [the officer who commanded at Presoue Isle]
I suppose encamped last night. Here the French had a baking place, and here
they had meetings, and assembled the Indians when first going to Ohio, and
•Craig's Hist, of Pittsburgh, 23. 6 Col. Doc. Hist, of New York, 840. 2 Doc. Hist,
of New York.
t Pouchot French and English Wars in North America, Vol. II., 160 (Hough's trans-
lation).
THE FRENCH WAR. 47
bought this place of them. Toonadawanusky, the river we stopped yesterday
at, is so called.
" Friday, 2d. A very stormy morning, wind not fair ; however, sent off my
two baggage boats, and ordered them to stop about thirty miles off in a river
[probably Cattaraugus creek]. The Seneca Indian tells me we may get this
day to the end of the lake. I embarked at eight o'clock with all the rest,
and got about thirty miles, when a very great storm of wind and rain arose,
and obliged us to put into a little creek [probably Eighteen Mile creek],
between the high rocky banks. The wind turned north-west, and it rained
very hard. We passed the Mohawks in a bay about four miles from here.
Some of our boats are put into other places as well as they can. My bedding
is on board the birch canoe of mine, with the Indian somewhere ahead.
The lake turns very greatly to the north-east, and looks like low land. From
Presque Isle here is all high land, except a very few spots where boats may
land. In the evening, sent Oneida to the Mohawk encampment, to learn
what news here."*
Although the French may have very early used this route by Chautauqua
lake to some extent, when passing from Lake Erie to the Allegany and Ohio,
it is clear that the route by Presque Isle and French creek was finally
adopted and principally used by them. The French were masters in wood
craft, and wonderfully familiar with the geography of this remote wilderness :
yet it is not strange that they should be in doubt as to which was the better
route, for it would be difficult for us, even at this day, familiar as we are with
the premises, to determine which would have been the better communication
for them.
In 1754, and soon after the fall of Pittsburgh, Washington being in com-
mand of a force of English colonists, fought with the French, in the forests
of Pennsylvania, his two first battles ; in one of which he defeated Mon-
sieur Jummonville, and in the other [the battle of Fort Necessity], the French
having been reinforced from Canada, he himself was defeated. July 9th,
175s, Braddock's large and well disciplined army was defeated by a small
force of Indians and a little band of gallant Frenchmen, who had the year
before passed along this county. The train of artillery taken from Braddock
was transported back, and used in August of the succeeding year, by Mont-
calm, in the siege of Oswego. Fort Du Quesne was taken from the French
on the 25th of November, 1758, by an army of about 6,000 men under
Gen. Forbes ; the French in possession there, upon their approach, having
fled, some up the Allegany and some down the Ohio. The English under
Prideaux, in July of the succeeding year, invested Fort Niagara. Prideaux
having been killed, the siege was continued by the English under Sir William
JohnsQjf. The Indians from the West, and from along the Allegany, were
collected together by the French. They, with French soldiers from the
posts of Venango and Presque Isle, formed a large force. This army was
conducted along Lake Erie to its oudet, led by D'Aubry, a French officer,
for the purpose of reinforcing Niagara. They were met by the English in
* Stone's Life and Times of Sir William Johnson.
48 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
the town of Lewiston, in this state, on the 24th of July, 1759, where a
bloodj' battle was fought, and the French and Indians defeated, and 500 of
their number slain. Niagara immediately after surrendered to the English.
Gen. Charles Lee, who became afterwards one of the most distinguished
officers of the American Revolution, was present at the siege of Niagara,
and after its surrender passed by Chautauqua county, on a military errand
do^vn the Allegany, to Fort Du Quesne.* Quebec having been taken by
the English ^nder Wolf, the French, in November, 1760, surrendered all
their posts in this part of the continent to the crown of England ; and the
French, who had for so many years known these western regions, thereafter
ceased to be seen in company with their red allies along the borders of
this county.
The first military expedition of the English over Lake Erie, was made
immediately after the surrender, by the French, of their possessions in Amer-
ica. It was dispatched to take possession of Detroit, Michillimackinack,
and other French posts that had been surrendered. Major Rogers, long
celebrated for his skill in border war, led the expedition. He embarked in
November, 1760, at the foot of Lake Erie, with 200 rangers in fifteen whale
boats, and coasted along the southern shore of the lake. On arriving at Erie
Rogers set out for Pittsburgh. He descended French creek and the Allegany
river in a canoe. Having obtained reinforcements, he proceeded on his way
to Detroit, which was surrendered to him immediately on his arrival.t
PoNTiAc's War.
The English having become possessed of the chain of forts extending
from Lake Erie to the Monongahela, now occupied them as outposts. They
had, howeyer, never purchased the lands upon which they stood of the Indi-
ans. Pontiac, an Ottawa chief of great abilities, resolved to rescue them
and all the forts in the West, from English possession. He effected a union
of the Western tribes for that purpose. The posts were all to be attacked in
a single day, their garrisons massacred, and also all the people of the bor-
der settlements. So well planned was the attack, that nine English posts in
the West were surprised and captured in a single day, in the month of May,
1763. Most of the officers and men of these garrisons were tomahawked
and scalped. Among the posts taken were Presque Isle, Le Boeuf, and
Venango. Various accounts have been given of the capture of Presque Isle ;
one, that it was taken through an ingenious stratagem of the Indians ; and
another, that it was taken after a vigorous assault and firm defense. Nearly
all the accounts agree that the garrison was destroyed. A few onl^of the
garrison at Le Boeuf escaped, through an underground passage h^ng its
outlet in the swamp adjoining Le Boeuf lake. Only one, it is said, of those
who escaped survived to reach a civilized settlement. J The scattered
* Irving's Washington, 377, 378.
t See Pontiac, or the Siege of Detroit ; also Rogers' Journal.
JPenn. Hist. Coll.
PONTIAC'S WAR. 49
settlers in Western Pennsylvania were either murdered or obliged to flee
to the nearest forts. Pontiac, with great energy, led the attack upon Detroit
in person, and for more than a year it was besieged, during which time
the garrison greatly suffered.
During the siege of Detroit, the Indians prosecuted the war at other
points. There is no doubt that the Seneca Indians cooperated with Pontiac.
They, on the 14th of September, 1763, attacked a party of over fifty Eng-
lish soldiers at Devil's Hole, near Niagara Falls, and all were killed, except-
ing two or three. They also, on the 19th of October of the same year,
somewhere near the foot of Lake Erie, attacked 160 English soldiers under
Major Wilkins, on their way to relieve Detroit, who were there in their
boats. A battle ensued, in which nearly thirty English were killed and
wounded. Other calamities befel Major Wilkins. A storm overtook him
on Lake Erie ; his boats were wrecked ; his ammunition was lost ; and
seventy of his men perished.
On the loth of August, 1764, Gen. Bradstreet, at the head of 3,000 men,
departed from Fort Erie for Detroit. He passed along the southern shore
of Lake Erie. At Sandusky and along the Maumee he burned the Indian
cornfields and villages ; and when he arrived at Detroit, raised the siege, and
compelled the Indians to lay down their arms. Israel Putnam accompanied
Bradstreet as colonel of a Connecticut regiment, and passed with him along
the shore of this county. On the i8th of October, Gen. Bradstreet, with
1,100 men and several cannon, set out for Fort Niagara. No detailed
account of his return march has been preserved. A portion of his batteaux
are supposed to have been wrecked west of Cleveland. Muskets, swords,
wrecks of boats and oth^ relics have been found for several miles along the
coast ; a mound also, filled with human skeletons, supposed to have been of
his party. As there remained an insufficient number of boats to carry his
men, the volunteers are said to have marched by land along the south shore
of the lake, passing Chautauqua county, sustaining themselves on their way
by hunting. They did not arrive at Fort Niagara until winter, and came
very near perishing by hunger on the way.*
Pontiac's war was the last great attempt made by the Indians to redeem
this country from the dominion of the white man ; and at its close, compara-
tive peace for many years prevailed ; and no event of importance occurred
in these regions until the Revolutionary war.
In liovember, 1768, a boundary line was established between the whites
and Indians, at a treaty held at Fort Stanwix, on the Mohawk river. This
line ascen(|ed the Ohio and Allegany rivers to Kittanning ; it then extended
in an easterly direction to the Susquehanna ; thence northerly to Lake
Ontario. North-'«iesterly of this line were the lands of the Indians, which
included Chautauqua county. South-east of this line was the territory of the
whites. Chautauqua lake was delineated upon the map executed at the
* Am. Hist. Record, Vol. III., p. 155. Whittlesey's Hist. Account of Ohio, p. zo.
4
50 HISTORV OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
time of this treaty. Its outlet into the Allegany river was spelled " Cana-
wagan;" and one of the streams from our county emptying into Lake Erie
was spelled "Jadahque."*
Col. Broadhead's Expedition.
At the breaking out of the Revolution, the limits of settlement and civili-
zation had extended somewhat nearer to Chautauqua county ; but no event
of great importance affecting these regions transpired until near the close of
the war. Long prior to 1779, the hostile Indians and tories had desolated
the frontier settlements of New York and Pennsylvania; to punish them,
Washington planned two expeditions. One was to march by the north
branch of the Susquehanna, against the Indian villages of the Six Nations in
New York ; the other was, at the same time, to proceed up the Allegany,
under the command of Col. Daniel Broadhead, a gallant and enterprising
officer, who then commanded at Pittsburgh, and to destroy the villages of the
Seneca and Munsey Indians, who dwelt along that river and its tributaries,
and afterwards to unite with the army of Gen. Sullivan in a combined attack
upon Fort Niagara. On account of the difficulty of providing Col. Broad-
head with supplies in time, and the want of satisfactory information concern-
ing the country along the Allegany, the idea of the two expeditions cooper-
rating with each other was abandoned by Gen. Washington-^ Col. Broadhead,
however, on the nth of August, 1779, at the head of 605 militia and
volunteers, and with one month's provisions, set out from Pittsburgh, and
advanced up the Allegany river to the mouth of the Mahoning. Here then-
provisions were transferred from the boats to pack-horses ; and the army
proceeded on to Brad/s Bend, in Clarion count)j, Pennsylvania. Here an
advanced party of Col. Broadhead's force, consisting of fifteen white men
and eight Delaware Indians, under the command of Lieut. Harding, fell in
with thirty or forty Indian warriors coming down the river in seven canoes.
The Indians landed and stripped off their shirts ; a sharp contest ensued ;
the Indians were defeated, and five of their number were killed and several
wounded; and all their canoes and contents fell into the hands of Col.
Broadhead. Lieut. Harding had three men wounded, including one of the
Delaware Indians.
Capt Samuel Brady, who was in this encounter, and whose name has
been given to this locaUty, was bom at Shippensburgh, Penn., 1758. He
was at the siege of Boston, and a lieutenant at the massacre of Paoli.
Having lost both his father and brother by the hands of Indians, he took an
oath of vengeance against the race. Having been ordered to FjKt Pitt with
the rest of his regiment under General Broadhead, it gave him an oppor-
timity to fulfill his vow. He was generally placed in cofimand of scouting
parties sent into the Indian country from Fort Pitt ; and being an athletic,
active and courageous man, familiar with the woods and Indian warfare, he
*Doc. Hist. N. Y., pp. 587-91.
t Letter from Washington to Col. Broadhead, April 21, 1779.
BRITISH AND INDIAN EXPEDITION. SI
became the hero of many bold exploits in the north-east part of the valley
of the Ohio, and a serious trouble to his Indian foes in those parts. An
account of his daring adventures and hair-breadth escapes would fill a book.
They gave his name permanently to many localities in Western Pennsylvania .
and Ohio. Jonathan Zane was also in this engagement, and was wounded.
He was a celebrated scout and great hunter, and piloted many expeditions
against the Indians.*
Colonel Broadhead's command continued to march up the river, as far as
the Indian village of Buckaloons, on the flats near Irvineton, at the mouth
of the Broken Straw, in Warren county. The Indians were driven from their
village, and retreated to the hills in the rear. The town was destroyed, and
a breastwork of trees thrown up.f A garrison of forty men was left to
guard the provisions ; and the remainder of the force proceeded to the
Indian town of Conawago, which was found to have been deserted eighteen
months before. Conawago was burnt, and the troops marched still further
up the river, past Kinjua to Yohroonwago, a place about four miles below
the southern boundary of the state of New York. Here they found a painted
image, or war post, clothed in dog skin. The troops remained there three
days, burning this and other towns in the vicinity and destroying the exten-
sive cornfields that they found there. Col. Broadhead believed, from the
great quantity of corn found, and from the number of new houses which
were built, and being built of square and round logs and of framed timbers,
that the whole Seneca and Munsey nations intended to collect there. Yoh-
roonwago was situated where, some years afterwards, Complanter made
his residence, and where an Indian village grew up, called De-o-no-sa-da-ga,
meaning, in English, burned houses. According to Mrs. Jemison, Colonel
Broadhead's troops ascended the Allegany as far as Olean Point, and burnt
other Indian towns on French creek, including Maghinquechahocking, a
village of thirty-five large houses. Col. Broadhead arrived at Fort Pitt, on
his return, September 14th, 1779; having burned ten Indian villages, con-
taining one hundred and sixty-five houses, having destroyed more than five
hundred acres of Indian corn, and taken three thousand dollar^ worth of furs
and other plunder, and having himself lost neither man nor beast. J
British and Indian Expedition over Chautauqua Lake in 1782.
The expedition of Sullivan and Broadhead, and the destruction of the In-
dian towns and cornfields, had the effect to throw the Indians upon the
* Butterfiaki's Hist, of Crawford's Expedition, 128, 129.
t Sometime afterwards, Major Morrison, who became a distinguished citizen of Lexing-
ton, Ky., returned to the mouth of the Broken Straw to reconnoiter, and narrowly escaped
with his life. He had stooped to drink from the creek, when a rifle ball from an Indian's
gun splashed the water into his face. — Pa. Hist. Collection, 653. The remains of this
stockade were very plainly to be seen a few years ago. They were situate about half a mile
above the crossing of the Broken Straw, on the road to Warren, on a high bluff on the Alle-
gany river, and commanded an extensive view up and down the river. — Dr. Wm. A. Irvine.
J Broadhead's Rep. to T. Pickering, Sept. 16, 1799.
52 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
hands of their British employes for support. During the succeeding winter,
want and disease followed, and swept many of them away; yet it did not
put a stop to their inroads. Exasperated by their misfortunes, maurauding
. parties of Indians, led by Brant and Cornplanter* and other chiefs, supported
by their allies, the tories, during the remainder of the war, visited the front-
ier settlements of New York and Pennsylvania, from the Mohawk to the
Wyoming Valley ; burning the houses of the settlers, killing many, and car-
rying others into captivity. Fort Niagara had usually been the winter
* Gy-ant-wa-chia, the Cornplanter, who exercised his rude authority in these regions,
was a celebrated Seneca warrior and chieftain, and the rival of the Indian orator Red
Jacket. His sagacity, eloquence and courage, for a long time justly gave him great influ-
ence with his tribe. He was born about the year 1732, at Conawaugus, on the Genesee
river. His father was a white man named John O'Bail, or Abeel ; his mother was a
Seneca woman. Ga-ne-odi-yo, or Handsome Lake, the Prophet, and Ta-wan-ne-ars, or
Blacksnake, were his half-brothers. When about twenty-three years of age, he first
appeared as a warrior with the army of French and Indians whicli defeated Braddock in
1755 ; and he probably afterwards participated in the principal Indian engagements during
the Revolution, fighting against the colonies. He is said to have been present at Wyoming
and Cherry Valley, and was with Brant at the head of his tribe in opposing Sullivan's
expedition. He also afterwards led the Senecas in the invasion of the Mohawk Valley,
when, it is said, he made his father, John O'Bail, a prisoner, and after marching him
several miles with the usual Indian stoicism, without disclosing himself, he abruptly, and
in the sententious manner of the Indian, announced his relationship, and gave O'Bail his
choice, to live with him and his red followers, where he would support him at ease in his
old age, or to return to his home on the Mohawk. He chose the latter, and Cornplanter
sent his young men who conducted him Ifeck in safety. Cornplanter was an able man,
and also honest and truthful ; he acted a most conspicuous part in the treaties and transac-
tions between the Indians and the United States, subsequent to the Revolutionary war,
and he saw, at its close, that the true policy of the Indian was to recognize the growing
power of the United States, and bury the hatchet. He advised his tribe to this course,
in opposition to the counsels of Brant and Red Jacket, and during the Indian wars that
followed, he remained the true and steadfast friend of the United States. In the last war
with England, when about eighty-four years old, accompanied by 200 warriors of his
nation, he called upon Col. Samuel Drake, at Franklin, and offered his services to the
United States, which were declined for the want of authority to muster Indians into the
service. A considerable number of his tribe, however, led by his son Henry Abeel, who
held a commission as major, acted during the war as scouts, and did good service to the
United States. Cornplanter, in his life-time, often visited Chautauqua county ; and years
before its settlement by the first white man, he thoroughly understood the geography of its
lakes and streams. After the Revolution he resided principally at Jen-nes-a-da-ga, his
viU^e, on the Allegany river, in Warren county, and, for the remainder of his life, a
period of fifty years; became thoroughly identified with this region of country. Corn-
planter died at Jennesadaga, aged about 105 years. A monument was erected in 1866,
with appropriate ceremonies, under the superintendence of Judge SamueljpE Johnson, of
Warren, Pa., and at the expense of the state of Pennsylvania, over his remains ; upon
which the following inscriptions were lettered : "John O'Bail, alias Cornplanter, died at
Cornplanter town, February 18, 1836, aged about 100 years, chief of the Seneca tribe, and
principal chief of the Six Nations, from the period of the Revolutionary war to the time of
his death. Distinguished for talents, courage, eloquence, sobriety and love of his tribe and
race, to whose welfare he devoted his time, his energies and his means, during a long and
eventful life."
BRITISH AND INDIAN EXPEDITION. 53
quarters of Brant, Guy Johnson and the Butlers and other tories who had
taken refuge in Canada. It now became the headquarters of the Indians
also, who had been driven from the Genesee and Allegany, and the point at
which all of these maurauding parties of Indians and tories were accustomed
to assemble, and from which they took their departure upon these hostile
incursions ; and to which they returned, laden with spoil and scalps, and
with such men, women and children as they had made prisoners, compelling
them in some instances to run the gauntlet, and subjecting them to other
cruelties.
In the fall of 1781, Col. Broadhead was superseded in the command at
Pittsburgh by Col. William Irvine, who continued to be the commanding
officer there until the close of the Revolution.
Col. Irvine demands more than a passing notice. He was born in Ireland.
Having studied medicine and surgery, he received the appointment of surgeon
of a British ship of war. During his service in the French and Quebec wars,
having acquired a knowledge of this country, he resolved to remove hither.
After the close of the war, in 1764, he became a citizen of Carlisle, Pennsyl-
vania. At the breaking out of the Revolutionary war, he was appointed
colonel of the sixth Pennsylvania regiment, and soqji after was made a pris-
oner while serving with the American forces in Canada, and was not exchanged
until about two years afterwards. In 1779, he was commissioned a brigadier-
general. After having distinguished himself at the battle of Monmouth, he
was appointed commander of the Western Department, with his headquarters
at Fort Pitt. He continued in this command until the close of the Revolu-
tion ; and during the time he strengthened and repaired Fort Pitt, and placed
this exposed frontier in a state of defense ; and, by his vigilance and abihty,
preserved it, in a great measure, from the ravages of the Indians. His name
is inseparably connected with all the important military events occurring
in the North-west. After his appointment, he acquired much knowledge of
the country drained by the Allegany and its tributaries, and also of the whole
North-west. He stood high in the esteem of Gen. Washington, and was
greatly respected for his integrity, ability, and his faithful performance of the
public trusts confided to him. After the Revolution, he held many positions
of importance and honor. It was through his advice and influence that the
state of Pennsylvania acquired dominion of the tract of land known as the
Triangle, which gave to that state a considerable lake coast, including the
harbor of Erie. The legislature of that state, as an acknowledgment of the
many valuable services rendered by Gen. Irvine, presented him with a tract
of land in v|he county of Warren, at the mouth of the Broken Straw, where
Irvineton is now situated, and where his esteemed grandson, Dr. Wm. A.
Irvine, now resides. Gen. Irvine died in Philadelphia the 29th of July, 1804.
There is reason to believe that, while Gen. Irvine was in command at
Pittsburgh, an expedition was organized at Fort Niagara for an attack on
Fort Pitt; and that, in 1782, a large party of British and Indians proceeded
so far as to actually embark in canoes upon Chautauqua lake, where the
54 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
expedition was abandoned on account of the supposed strength of Fort Pitt,
and was resolved into small war parties, one of which burned Hannastown.
The party which burned this place, and which may have constituted a part
of the force assembled around Chautauqua lake, consisted of about 60 white
refugees and 300 Indians, led by the celebrated Seneca Chief Guzasuttea,
sometimes called Kiasola.* Hannastown was situated in Westmoreland
county, in Pennsylvania, and was the first place where courts were held west
of the Allegany mountains. During the Revolutionary war it was an impor-
tant post in Western Pennsylvania. It was entirely destroyed by this party
of whites and Indians in July, 1782. A considerable number of people
residing in Hannastown and vicinity were either killed or carried prisoners
to Canada. After the close of the war the captives were delivered up, and
they returned to their homes.t
Washington's Correspondence with Gen. Irvine.
Col. Irvine was subsequently promoted to the rank of general ; and he
afterwards, in the course of a correspondence with Gen. Washington, alludes
to this expedition, giving many other interesting particulars respecting Chau-
tauqua county, which h^d before that time been visited by him. Commu-
nication between the waters of Lake Erie and the Ohio river had been a
subject of inquiry with certain distinguished gentlemen ; and Gen. Wash-
ington, for information upon that subject, addressed a letter to Gen. Irvine,
dated January 10, 1788, inquiring of him : — i. As to the face of the country
between the sources of canoe navigation of the Cuyahoga, which empties
itself into Lake Erie, and the Big Beaver, and between the Cuyahoga and the
Muskingum. 2. As to the distance between the waters of the Cuyahoga
and each of the two rivers above mentioned. 3. Whether it would be prac-
ticable, and not expensive, to cut a canal between the Cuyahoga and either
of the above rivers, so as to open a communication between the waters of
Lake Erie and the Ohio. 4. Whether there is any more direct, practicable
and easy communication than these between the waters of Lake Erie and
the Ohio, by which the fur and peltry of the upper country can be trans-
ferred. J In answer to this letter, Gen. Irvine replied as follows :
"New York, Jan. 27, 1788.
"Sir: I have been honored by your letter of the nth instant I need
not tell you how much pleasure it would give me to answer your queries to
your satisfaction ; but I am persuaded that no observation short of an actual
survey will enable you to gratify your correspondents abroad (particularly in
relation to your third query), with such accuracy as to state anything posi-
tively. I will, however, relate to you such facts as have comJUwithin my
own knowledge, as well as accounts of persons whom I think are to be con-
fided in.
" From a place called Mahoning, on the Big Beaver, to the head of the
Falls of Cuyahoga, it is about thirty miles. Although the country is hilly,
* Craig's Hist, of Pittsburgh. + Penn. Hist. Coll., title Cumberland Co., 633.
t Sparks' Washington's Writings, Vol. IX., 303.
WASHINGTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH IRVINE. 55
it is not mountainous. The principal elevation is called Beech Ridge, which
is not high, though extensive, being several miles over, with a flat and moist
country on the summit, and some places inclining to b"e marshy. The diffi-
culty of traveling is much increased by the beech roots with which the tim-
ber is heavily incumbered. The Cuyahoga above the Great Falls is rapid
and rocky, and is interrupted by several lesser falls on the branch which
heads towards that part of the Big Beaver called the Mahoning. This infor-
mation I had from an intelligent person then loading a sloop at the mouth
of the Cuyahoga for Detroit. He added, that an old Indian assured him
that it was only fifteen miles across from the Mahoning to a navigable creek
a few miles east of the Cuyahoga ; that he had employed the Indian to clear
a road, and when that was done he intended to explore the country himself.
I presume this service was not performed, as this gentleman, man and his
horses, were all destroyed, and his store-house burned, by the Indians.
Captain Bady, a partisan officer, informed me that the sources of the Big
Beaver, Muskingum, and a large deep creek which empties into Lake Erie,
fifteen or twenty miles above Cuyahoga, are within a few miles of each other
(perhaps four or five), and the country level. Several other persons of cred-
ibility and information have assured me that the portage between Muskingum
and the waters falling into the lake, in wet seasons, does not exceed fifteen
miles ; some say two, but I believe the first-named distance is the safest to
credit.
" At Mahoning, and for many miles above and below, I found the course
of the Big Beaver to be east and west, from which I conclude this stream to
be nearest to the main branch of the Cuyahoga ; and on comparing the
several accounts, I am led to think that the shortest communication between
the waters of Beaver, Muskingum and Lake Erie, will be east and west of
Cuyahoga. •
" I have also been informed by a gentleman, that the sources of Grand
river, and a branch of the Beaver called Shenango, are not twelve miles
apart, the country hilly. I know the Shenango to be a beatable stream at
its confluence with the Beaver, twenty miles from the Ohio.
" I dropped down the Beaver fi-om Mahoning to the Great Falls (about
seven miles from the Ohio) in a canoe, on the first of July, 1784, without the
least difficulty. At this season all the western waters are remarkably low ;
and although some ripples appear, there is nothing to cause any material
obstruction. The falls, at first view, appear impracticable at low water ;
indeed, too difficult at any season ; nevertheless, they have been passed at
all seasons. I met two men in a flat-bottomed boat a few miles above the
falls, who had carried their cargo half a mile on shore, and then warped up
their empty boat. They set with poles the rest of the way to Mahoning.
The boat carried one and a half tons ; but in some seasons there will be
water enough for loads of five tons. Canoes, it is said, have ascended
twenty-five miles higher than the Mahoning, which certainly must be near
one branch of Muskingum, as it continues in a westerly course ; and the
most easterly branch of that river, it is agreed by all who have been in that
quarter, approaches very near to the waters falling into the lake ; all agree,
likewise, that the rivers north of the dividing ridge are deep and smooth, the
country being level.
" Following the Indian path, which generally keeps in the low ground
along the river, the distance from the mouth of the Big Beaver to Mahoning
is about fifty miles; which, from the computed distance thence to Cuyahoga,
56 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
gives eighty miles in all. But I am certain a much better road will be found
by keeping along the_ ground which divides the waters of the Big and Little
Beavers.
" But this digression I must beg your pardon for. To your further query
I think I shall be able to afford you more satisfaction, as I can point out a
more practicable and easy communication, by which the articles of trade you
mention can be transported from Lake Erie, than by any other hitherto
mentioned route; at least' until canals are cut. This is by a branch of the
Allegany, which is navigable by boats of considerable burthen, to within
eight miles of Lake Erie. I examined the greater part of the communica-
tion myself, and such parts as I did not, was done by persons before and
subsequent to my being there, whose accounts can scarce be doubted.
" From Fort Pitt to Venango by land, on the Indian and French path, is
computed to be ninety miles ; by water it is said to be one-third more. But as
you know the country so far, I will forbear giving a more particular account
of it ; but proceed to inform you that I set out and traveled by land from
Venango, though frequently on the beach or within high-water mark, (the
country being in many places impassable for a horse,) to a confluence of a
branch of the river called Coniwango, which is about sixty-five miles from
French creek. The general course of the Allegany between these two
creeks is north-east. The course of the Coniwango is very near due north;
it is about yards wide. It is upwards of yards, thirty miles from
its confluence with the Allegany at a fork. It is deep and not very rapid.
To the Coniwango fork of the Allegany, the navigation is rather better than
firom Venango to Fort Pitt. I traveled about twenty-five miles a day. Two
Indians pushed a loaded canoe, and encamped with me every night. As the
Coniwango is crooked, I think it must be forty miles from the Allegany to
its for* by water. One of the forks continues in a northern direction about
seven miles to a beautiful lake. The lake is noticed on Hutchins' map, by
the name of Lake Jadaque. The map is badly executed. It extends, from
the best information I could obtain, to within nine miles of Lake Erie ; it is
from one to two miles broad, and deep enough for navigation. I was taken
sick, which prevented my journey over to Lake Erie.
" The following account I had from a chief of the Seneca tribe, as well as
from a white man named Mathews, a Virginian, who says that he was taken
prisoner by the Indians at Kanawha, in 1777. He has lived with the
Indians since that time. As far as I could judge, he appeared to be well
acquainted with this part of the country. I employed him as interpreter.
He stated that from the upper end of Jadaqua lake, it is not more than nine
miles along the path or road to Lake Erie, and that there was formerly a
wagon road between the two lakes.
"The Indian related, that he was about fourteen years old when the
French went first to establish a post at Fort Pitt ; that he accompanied an
uncle who was a chief warrior, on that occasion, who attended the French ;
that the head of Lake Jadaque was the spot where the detachment em-
barked ; that they fell down to Fort Duquesne without any obstruction, in
large canoes, with all the artillery, stores, provisions, etc.* He added that
*The first expedition sent by the French against Fort Pitt, was that commanded by
Captain Contrecoeur, in the spring succeeding the cutting out of the Portage road, and
which compelled the capitulation of Pittsburgh, in April, 1754, an account of which is in
the foregoing pages.
WASHINGTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH IRVINE. 57
French creek was made the medium of communication afterwards ; why, he
could not tell, but always wondered at it, as he expressed himself, knowing
the other to be so much better. The Seneca related many things to corrobo-
rate and convince me of its truth. He stated that he was constantly em-
ployed by the British during the late war, and had the rank of captain; and
that he commanded the party which was defeated on the Allegany by Colonel
Broadhead ; that in the year 1782, a detachment composed of 300 British
and 500 Indians, was formed, and actually embarked in canoes on Lake
Jadaque, with twelve pieces of artillery, with an avowed intention of attack-
ing Fort Pitt. This expedition, he says, was laid aside, in consequence of
the reported repairs and strength of Fort Pitt, carried by a spy from the
neighborhood of the fort. They then contented themselves with the usual
mode of warfare, by sending small parties on the frontier, one of which
burned Hannastown. I remember very well that, in August, 1782, we
picked up at Fort Pitt a number of canoes, which had drifted down the
river; and I received repeated accounts, in June and July, from a Canadian
who deserted to me, as well as from some friendly Indians, of this arma-
ment ; but I never knew before then where they had assembled.*
" Both Mathews and the Seneca desired to conduct me, as a further proof
ot their veracity, to the spot, on the shore of Lake Jadaque, where lies one
of the four-pounders left by the French. Major Finley, who has been in
that country since I was, informed me that he had seen the gun. Mathews
was very desirous that I should explore the east fork of the Coniwango ; but
my sickness prevented me. His account is, that it is navigable about thirty
miles up from the junction of the north and west branch, to a swamp which
is about half a mile wide; that on the north side of this swamp a large creek
has its source, called " Catterauque " [Cattaraugus], which falls into Lake
Erie, forty miles from the foot of this lake; that he has several times been
of parties who crossed over, carrying the canoes across the swamps. He
added, that the Catterauque watered much the finest country between
Buffalo and Presque Isle.
" A letter has been published lately in a Philadelphia newspaper, written
by one of the gentlemen employed in running the boundary line between
New York and Pennsylvania, which fully supports these accounts. As well as
I can remember, his words are: 'We pushed up a large branch of the
Allegany, called Chataghque (so he spells the name), which is from one
half mile to two or three wide, and near twenty long. The country is level,
and the land good, to a great extent, on both sides. We ascended the
dividing ridge between the two lakes. From this place a most delightful
prospect was open before us.' He then dwells on the scene before him and
future prospects, not to the present purpose; but concludes by saying that
the waters of Lake Erie cannot be brought to the Ohio, as the summit of
the dividing ridge is 700 feet higher than Lake Erie. 'We traveled,' he con-
*In 1822, William Bemus, in making an attempt to deepen the channel of the outlet of
Chautauqua lake, in that village, discovered a row of piles averaging four inches in diame-
ter, and from two and one-half to three and one-half feet in length, driven firmly into the
earth across the bed of the stream. Axe marks were plainly visible on each of the four sides
of those piles, the wood of which was sound. The tops of these piles were worn smooth,
and did not appear, when discovered, to reach above the bed of the stream. — Hon. E. T.
Foote. Warrens History of Chautauqua County. Other evidences existed indicating the
presence of armed forces within the county anterior to its settlement.
58 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
tinues, 'along the Indian path to the lake, which is only nine miles, though
very crooked. A good wagon road may be made, which will not exceed
seven miles, as the hill is not steep.'
" I regret that this detail has been extended to so great a length, for I fear
that it will rather weary than afford you satisfaction. Being obliged to
blend the information of others, with that which came within my own
observation, in some degree renders it unavoidable.
" I have the honor to be, with great respect,
" Your most obedient servant,
"William Irvine."
This letter was copied by Dr. William A. Irvine, from the original lent to
his father, Callender Irvine, by Judge Washington; and it contains perhaps
the first written description extant of Chautauqua lake and outlet. Chau-
tauqua lake was then rarely visited, except by the Seneca, who came there
to hunt, and to capture the excellent fish, for which it is now so justly cele-
brated, and which its pure waters yielded in great abundance. The few
white men that wandered as far as its shores, found it a secluded lake,
buried in the heart of the wilderness, where the wild fowl gachered unmo-
lested, and where the howl of the wolf could be heard nightly among its
neighboring hills, and the lonely cry of the loon across its waters. Although
the lake was rarely seen by those who could appreciate its beauties, yet it
was perhaps then more beautiful than now. In spring, the margin of every
inlet and cove, and its whole shore, lay concealed beneath a mass of green
foliage, that rolled back in leafy billows on every side, to the summit of the
surrounding hills, and which the frosts in autumn changed to those bright
and varied hues that belong only to an American forest. Even the rough
French and English voyagers that sometimes may have traversed it when it
was a deep solitude, could not have beheld, without admiration, its clear
waters and beautiful shores.
General Washington answered this letter from General Irvine, as follows :
"Mount Vernon, i8th February, 1788.
" Sir : I have to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of the 27th ult., and
to thank you for the information contained in it. As a communication be-
tween the waters of Lake Erie and those of Ohio is a matter which promises
great public utility, and as every step towards the investigation of it may be
considered as promoting the general interest of our country, I need make
no apology to you for any trouble that I have given upon the subject.
" I am fuUy sensible that no account can be sufficiently accurate to hazard
any operations upon, without an actual survey. My object in wishing a solu-
tion of the queries proposed to you, was, that I might be enabled to return
answers, in some degree satisfactory, to several gentlemen of distinction in
foreign countries, who have appealed to me for information on the subject, in
behalf of others who wish to engage in the fur trade, and at the same time
gratify my own curiosity, and assist me in forming a judgment of the prac-
ticability of opening communication, should it ever be seriously in con-
templation.
" I. Could a channel once be opened to convey the fur and peltry from
the lakes into the Eastern country, its advantages would be so obvious as to
WASHINGTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH IRVINE. 59
induce an opinion, that it would in a short time become the channel of con-
veyance for much the greatest part of the commodities brought from thence.
" 2. The trade which has been carried on between New York and that
quarter, is subject to great inconvenience from the length of the communica-
tion, number of portages, and, at seasons, from ice ; yet it has, notwithstand-
ing, been prosecuted with success.
" I shall feel myself much obliged by any further information that you may
find time and inclination to communicate to me on this head. I am, sir,
with great esteem, your most obedient, &c.,
" George Washington."
General Irvine afterwards wrote to Gen. Washington upon the subject, as
follows :
"New York, Oct. 6th, 1788.
" Sir : I do myself the honor to enclose a sketch of the waters of the
Allegany, which approach near to Lake Erie. It is taken from an actual
survey made by the persons who ran the line between the states of New York
and Pennsylvania. These gentlemen say that the main branch of the Alle-
gany falls in Pennsylvania, and that there is only seven or eight miles land
carriage between it and the head of a branch of Susquehanna, called Tioga,
which is navigable for large boats at most seasons. The navigation of
Caniwago, I know, is much preferable to French creek.
" I have the honor to be with the highest respect, sir, your excellency's
most obedient and humble servant, Wu. Irvine."
This letter was never before published. It is found bound in a volume of
the Washington Papers, and is entered in an index of those papers made by
Rev. Jared Sparks. It was probably written to Gen. Washington by the
direction of Gen. Irvine. Accompanying this letter was an accurate map of
" Chautaugh" lake, and " Canewango river;" also the Chautauqua Creek
portage, from Lake Erie to Chautauqua lake, and also the portage to Le
Boeuf, and other localities. Washington replied to Gen. Irvine, as follows :
Mount Vernon, 31st October, 1788.
" Dear Sir : The letter with which you favored me, dated the 6th instant,
enclosing a sketch of waters near the line which separates your state from
New York, came duly to hand, for which I offer you my acknowledgments
and thanks.
" The extensive inland navigation with which this country abounds, and
the easy communication which many of the rivers afford, with the amazing
territory to the westward of us, will certainly be productive of infinite advan-
tage to the Atlantic states, if the legislatures of those through which they pass
have liberality and public spirit enough to improve them. For my part, I
wish sincerely that every door to that country may be set wide open, that the
commercial intercourse with it may be rendered as free and easy as possible.
This, in my judgment, is the best, if not the only cement that can bind those
people to us for any length of time, and we shall, I think, be deficient in
foresight and wisdom if we neglect the means to effect it. Our interest is so
much in unison with the policy of the measure, that nothing but that ill-aimed
and misapplied parsimony and contracted way of thinking, which intermingles
so much in all our public councils, can counteract it.
" If the Chautauqua lake, at the head of the Connewango river, approx-
60 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
imates Lake Erie as nearly as it is laid down in the draft you sent me, it
presents a very short portage indeed between the two, and access to all those
above the latter. I am, etc., George Washington."
It will be seen by this correspondence, that Washington, at that early day,
clearly foresaw the great importance of obtaining a ready communication
between the waters of the East and the West, which was then required only
to transport the few furs and peltries collected by the Indians and trappers
in the uncivilized western regions ; but which, forty-five years later, was
needed to bear a tide of emigration that has constantly since then been pour-
ing into the valley of the Mississippi, and to carry back to the East from that
fruitful territory surplus products so vast as to require the building of the
Erie Canal.
Survey of the State Boundary Line.
The original boundary line between New York and Pennsylvania extended
from the north-west comer of New Jersey, along the center of the Delaware
river, to the 42d degree of north latitude, and thence west to Lake Erie.
This line gave to the state of Pennsylvania only four or five miles of coast
on Lake Erie, and no harbor. Samuel Holland, on the part of New York,
and David Rittenhouse, on the part of Pennsylvania, were appointed com-
missioners, November 8, 1774, to run this boundary; and in December of
that year they erected a stone monument on the 42d parallel of latitude, upon
a small island in the Delaware river, as the north-east corner of the state of
Pennsylvania. The severity of the season prevented the further prosecution
of the survey that year. The Revolution soon after commenced, and the
work was postponed. In 1781, New York released to the general govern-
ment the lands to which it had claim, lying west of a meridian extending
through the west extremity of Lake Ontario. This line became the western
boundary of Chautauqua county ; and these lands constituted the tract since
known as the Triangle. They were sold by the government of the United
States, in 1792, to the state of Pennsylvania, and gave to that state 202,180
acres of land, thirty miles of coast on Lake Erie, and an excellent harbor at
Erie. The southern boundary of New York was run by David Rittenhouse,
Andrew Ellicott and others, commissioners, in 1785, 1786 and 1787. The
meridian line which forms the western boundary of our county and state, was
run in 1788 and 1 789, by Andrew Ellicott, the surveyor-general of the United
States. An initial monument was erected by him near the shore of Lake
Erie, on which was placed the following inscription : On the east side —
"Meridian of the west end of Lake Ontario, state of New York, 18 miles
and 525 chains from the northern boundary of Pennsylvania, August 23,
1 790." On the west side — " Territory annexed to the state of Pennsylvania.
North latitude 42° 16' 32". Variation, 25' west." This monument having
been partially destroyed, and what remained of it endangered by the encroach-
ments of Lake Erie, it was replaced in pursuance of an act of the legislature,
with appropriate ceremonies, September 15, 1869, by a new monument.
INDIAN WARS AND THE CONCLUSION. 6l
placed 440 feet south of the original monument, composed of Quincy
granite, two feet wide and about eight inches thick. It has on its east and
west faces a copy of the inscription on the corresponding faces of the original
monument, and on its north and south faces the following inscription : North
face — "1869, latitude of this state, 42 deg., 15 min., 56 sec. 9; longitude,
79 deg., 45 min., 54 sec. 4. Variation, 2 deg. 35 sec. west. South face —
" 1869. Erected by the states of New York and Pennsylvania, 440 feet
south of a monument now dilapidated, on which were the inscriptions on the
east and west faces of this monument." William Evans represented the state
of Pennsylvania, and John V. L. Pruyn, George R. Perkins, S. B. Woolworth
and George W. Patterson, represented the state of New York.
The state of Pennsylvania held treaties with the Indians : one at Fort
Stanwix, in 1784, and another at Fort Harmer, in 1789, at which last place
the chiefs present agreed that the said state of Pennsylvania shall, and may
at any time they may think proper, survey, dispose of, and settle all that part
of the aforesaid country, lying and being west of a line running along the
middle of the Connew^ango river, from its confluence with the Allegany river
into " Chadochque Lake ;'' thence along the middle of said lake, to the
north end of the same ; thence a meridian line from the north end of the
said lake, to the margin or shore of Lake Erie. These treaties, it was thought,
secured the title to the Triangle. Complanter sustained the title thus
acquired, but a majority of the Iroquois, and their master spirit the Mohawk
Chief Brant, were bitterly opposed, as he was in favor of restricting the whites
to the territory lying east of the Allegany and Ohio, and the settlement of
the Triangle was never fully acquiesced in by the Indians.
Indian Wars, and the Conclusion.
The disasters that attended the celebrated expedition of Gen. Hanmer
against the Indians in 1790, encouraged them to renewed acts of hostility;
and in the spring of 1791, the settlements along the Allegany river above
Pittsburgh were repeatedly visited by them, and women and children often
massacred; even the Triangle suffered from their hostile incursions. The
defeat of St. Clair by the Indians, which occurred in November, 1791,
rendered them still more bold and ferocious ; and for a year thereafter great
alarm extended along the frontiers of New York and Pennsylvania; and not
until the successful termination of Wayne's expedition into the Indian
country, were the frontier settlements entirely freed from danger of Indian
hostility. On the 20th of August, 1794, Gen. Wayne completely defeated,
the Indians in a general battle on the Maumee river. This decisive victory
entirely put an end to their power for fiirther harm to the border settlers.
By a treaty made at Greenville with the different tribes of Western Indians,
on the 30th of July, 1795, the greater part of the territory of Ohio was
ceded to the United States, and a long period of border war ended, and
peace for the first time established in these Western wilds which had never
known any other condition than that of continued savage and relendess strife.
62 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Chautauqua county, before this treaty, had been a deep solitude, far dis-
tant from the most advanced outposts of permanent settlement; yet often
the scene of warlike demonstration. Fleets filled with armed and veteran
Frenchmen had passed along its shores; Beaujen, the gallant Frenchman,
who led the handful of his countrymen that defeated Braddock; St. Pierre,
La Force, and Joncaire — names that have become celebrated in the history
of the French occupation in America, were once familiar with this county ;
and the war-path of veritable savage warriors armed with tomahawk and
scalping-knife, may have led through its forests ; and later, during the Amer-
ican Revolution, it is probable that an armed force of British and Indians
had been borne upon the waters of our beautiful lake. But this treaty
suddenly opened the West to receive the tide of emigration that has not,
from that time to this day, ceased to flow.
The state of Ohio, September 5th, 1795, conveyed to the "Connecticut
Land Company" the Western Reserve, and on the 4th of July, 1796, the
first permanent settlement of Northern Ohio was made at Conneaut, in Ash-
tabula county. The fall following, a settlement was commenced at Cleve-
land, where it was designed by the proprietors of the Western Reserve to
establish the capital of a new state, to be called " New Connecticut," under
the mistaken idea, that by the Constitution of the United States, the rights
they had acquired by the purchase of the soil gave them political jurisdiction
also, and authority to found a state. Emigration from the east at first pressed
towards the Western Reserve, passing by the Holland Purchase, the lands of
which had not yet been put into market. When these lands were offered
for sale (as the Holland Land Company sold theirs for $2.50 and $3.00 per
acre on a credit, while Western lands were sold at a less price for cash), those
who possessed the ready means, and were able to pay at once for their farms,
sought more attractive homes in the fertile prairies and flowery openings of
Ohio and the West ; consequently the first settlers of the Holland Purchase,
and those particularly of the county of Chautauqua, were the poorest class
of people — men who often expended their last dollar to procure the article
for their land. Chautauqua county then was densely covered with a majes-
tic forest of the largest growth, which cast its dark shadows everywhere —
over hills and valleys, and along the streams and borders of the lakes. No-
where in northern latitudes could be found trees so tall and large ; and while
none could behold, without awe and pleasure, the grandeur and grace of these
mighty woods, yet a home here, to cope with and subdue them, promised a
life-time of toil and privation ; and no one felt invited hither but strong and
hardy pioneers — men of the frontier who were accustomed to wield the axe
and handle the rifle ; who could grapple with the forest, and rough it in the
wilderness, and think it ease ; who could reap the thin harvest, and live upon
the coarse and often scanty fare of the woods, and call it plenty ; conse-
quently the first settlers of this county were mostly from the backwoods
region, at the western verge of settlement. They brought with them strong
arms, stout hearts, and a thorough knowledge of the rude expedients of life
PRELIMINARY HISTORY. 6^
in the woods. They were a body of picked young men, possessing vigorous
bodies and practical minds. Among their number were often men of marked
abihty, whose talents would honor any station. Although the most of them
possessed but little of the learning of books and schools, not a few were
cultivated and accomplished---men and women of refinement and education,
whose attainments were such as to prepare them to adorn any society. The
most of the early settlers were, however, educated in a true sense : they
possessed that learning which, in the situation in which it was their fortune
to be cast, best fitted thep for a life of usefulness, and enabled them to con-
tribute their full share in the great work of progress and improvement allotted
to them. They were skillful adepts in their calling ; accomplished masters
in wood craft, and in all that pertained to the formidable task of preparing the
way for the westward expansion of civilization and population. Where and
when they performed this labor will be told in the succeeding pages of this
history. How quickly, and how well it was done, the green hillsides and
blooming valleys of our county fully attest.
PRELIMINARY HISTORY— THE HOLLAND COMPANY'S
PURCHASE.
America was discovered by Columbus in 1492. In 1497, John Cabot, a
Venetian, and his son Sebastian, under the auspices of Henry VII., king of
England, discovered North America. He sailed along the coast 300 leagues,
and planted on the soil the bailners of England and of Venice. He saw no
person, though he believed the country not uninhabited.
Efforts were early made by Spain, France and England, to establish colo-
nies in North America. More, however, than a century elapsed before
many permanent settlements were made. In 1568, the Spaniards established
a small colony in Florida. The French, in 1605, planted a small colony in
Nova Scotia, and in 1608, founded the city of Quebec. In 1607, the
English made a settlement at Jamestown, in Virginia. New York was set-
tled by the Dutch in 161 4. In 1620, the "Pilgrim Fathers'' landed on
Plymouth Rock, and commenced the settlement of New England.
The tract of country called New England, granted by James I., king of
England, to the Plymouth Company, extended from the Atlantic to the
Pacific Ocean. In 1628, a part of this tract, alsp extending to the Pacific,
was granted by the Plymouth Company to Sir Henry Roswell and his asso-
ciates, called the Massachusetts Bay Company. The province of New York
was granted in 1663, by Charles II., to the Duke of York and Albany
[afterwards King James II.], who subsequently granted to Berkeley and
Cartaret the province of New Jersey. The remainder of the country granted
by Charles II. constituted the province of New York, which extended
north to the Canada line; but its extent westward was not definitely stated.
64 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
The first charter of Massachusetts, granted by King Charles I., in 1628,
appears to have been vacated by quo warranto in 1684; and a second
charter was granted by Wilham and Mary, in 1691, in which the territorial
limits of the province, although differently bounded, are also made to extend
to the Pacific Ocean. Under these conflicting grants, disputes arose between
some of the states as to the extent of their respective territorial rights and
jurisdiction.
Those who are familiar with the political history of this country, will
remember that, near and soon after the close of the Revolutionary war,
several of the states ceded their western lands to the general government as a
fund to aid in the payment of the war debt. New York ceded hers by
deed dated March i, 1781, two years before the peace. In 1783, Congress
requested those states which had not already done so, to cede portions of
their territory for that purpose. Virginia ceded March i, 1784; Massachu-
setts, April 19, 1785 ; and Connecticut, September 13, 1786, transferred her
claim, reserving about 3,000,000 acres in the north-east part of the present
state of Ohio. This tract was called the " Western Reserve of Connecticut."
On the 30th of May, 1800, the jurisdictional claims of that state to this
Reserve were surrendered to the United States.
The dispute, however, between the states of New York and Massachusetts
was not yet settled. Of the territory which, by the treaty of peace of 1783,
was ceded to the United States, each of the individual states claimed such
portions as were comprehended within their original grants or charters. Mas-
sachusetts consequently claimed a strip of land extending to the westerly
bounds of the United States, thus dividing the state of New York into two
parts. Both New York and Massachusetts had ceded all their lands westerly
of the same meridian line, namely, a line running from the most westerly
bend of Lake Ontario, south to the northern line of Pennsylvania, and form-
ing the present western boundary of the state of New York. But Massa-
chusetts still claimed nearly 20,000 square miles -east of that line. The
controversy was finally settled by commissioners on the part of each of the
two states, who met at Hartford, December 16, 1786. In accordance with
this decision, Massachusetts ceded to New York all claim to the government,
sovereignty, and jurisdiction of all the lands in controversy; and New York
ceded to Massachusetts and to her grantees the preemption right or fee of
the land, subject to the title of the natives, of all that part of the state of
New York lying west of a line beginning on the north boundary line of
Pennsylvania, on the parallel of 42 degrees of north latitude, 82 miles west
of the north-east corner of said state, and running thence due north through
Seneca lake to Lake Ontario, excepting a mile's breadth along the east bank
of the Niagara river. The land, the preemption right of which was thus
ceded, was about six million acres.
In April, 1788, Massachusetts contracted to sell to Oliver Phelps and
Nathaniel Gorham the right of preemption in all the lands ceded by the
convention of the i6th of December, 1786, at Hartford. In July, 1788,
PRELIMINARY HISTORY. 65
Gorham and Phelps purchased the Indian title to about 2,600,000 acres of
the eastern part of their purchase from Massachusetts. The western bound-
ary of these lands was a line running from the north line of Pennsylvania
north to the junction of the Shanahasgwaikon (now called Canascraga) creek
and the Genesee river ; thence northwardly along the Genesee river to a point
two miles north of Canawaugus village; thence due west 12 miles; thence
in a direction northwardly, so as to be 1 2 miles distant from the most west-
ward bend of the Genesee river to Lake Ontario. This tract, the Indian
title to which had been extinguished by Phelps and Gorham, was confirmed
to them by an act of the legislature of Massachusetts, November 21, 1788,
and is that which has been designated as the " Phelps and Gorham Purchase."
The survey of this tract into townships and lots was immediately com-
menced ; and, within the space of two years, about fifty townships had been
disposed of, principally by whole townships or large portions of townships,
to individuals and companies.
Phelps and Gorham, having paid about one-third of the purchase money
of the entire tract purchased of Massachusetts, were unable to make further
payments. They had stipulated to pay in a kind of scrip, or " consolidated
stock,'' issued by that state. This scrip they could buy at 70 or 80 per cent,
below par. But this stock having risen to par, they were unable, at this rate,
to fulfill their engagements. On the isth of February, 1790, they proposed
to the legislature of Massachusetts to surrender to the state two-thirds in
quantity and value of the whole of the contracted lands ; two of their three
bonds for ^100,000 each, given for the purchase money, to be canceled. The
tract released by the Indians was to be retained by Gorham and Phelps ; but
if the contents should exceed one-third of the whole, the surplus was to be
paid for in money at the average price of the whole.
Two other proposals, made a few days later, were accepted by the legisla-
ture, but reserving to themselves the right of accepting, in preference, at any
time within one year, the proposal of the 15th of February, 1790; and on
the 19th of February, 17 91, notice was given to Gorham and Phelps that
the legislature had elected, that the two third parts of the lands should
remain the property of the commonwealth ; and the unpaid bonds were
relinquished to Phelps and Gorham. The tract released by the Indians was
found to exceed in quantity one-third of the whole territory ; and the excess
was subsequently [April 6, 18 13] paid by Phelps and Gorham. That tract,
with the exception of the parts sold, and of two townships reserved by Gor-
ham and Phelps, was sold by them to Robert Morris, and is described in the
conveyance, dated i8th November, 1790, as containing 2,100,000 acres.
In March, 1791, Massachusetts agreed to sell to Samuel Ogden, agent for
Robert Morris, all the lands ceded to that state by New York, except that
part which had been conveyed to Phelps and Gorham, the state reserving
one equal undivided sixtieth part of the unexcepted lands. This reservation
in the original sale to Morris, was caused by a contract made by Gorhami
and Phelps, prior to the surrender of their claim to Massachusetts, for the
5
66 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
sale of one-sixtieth of the entire territory to John Butler. Butler subse-
quently assigned his right to this one-sixtieth to Morris, who was thus enabled
to acquire a title from Massachusetts.
In pursuance of this contract, Massachusetts, on the nth of May, 1791,
conveyed to Robert Morris, as the assignee under Samuel Ogden, a tract of
land containing about 500,000 acres, bounded on the west by a line drawn from
a point in the north line of Pennsylvania, twelve miles west from the south-
west corner of the land confirmed to Gorham and Phelps, to Lake Ontario.
This tract forms no part of the lands subsequently sold by Morris to the
Holland Land Company, and is still known as the " Morris Reserve.''
The lands of the Holland Land Company are embraced in four deeds from
Massachusetts to Robert Morris, all dated May 11, 1791, Samuel Ogden
concurring in these conveyances. Each deed conveyed a distinct tract of
land, supposed to contain 800,000 acres. The ^rst tract is sixteen miles
wide, from the Pennsylvania north line to the northern boundary of the state,
and comprehends ranges r, 2 and 3, as laid down in the map of Ellicotts
survey. The second tract is of the same breadth, and comprehends ranges 4,
5 and 6. The third tract is of the same breadth, and comprehends ranges 7
and 8, and 263 chains and 76 links off the easterly side of range 9. The fourt/i
tract embraces all the land in the state west of the third tract, and compre-
hends the remaining westerly part of range 9, and the whole of ranges 10,
II, 12, 13, 14 and 15. The consideration of the first three tracts was
;^i5,ooo each; for the fourth, ;^io,ooo. By these conveyances, Robert
Morris became seized of the preemptive title to all the lands in the state west
of the eastern boundary of the Holland Purchase, excepting only the
reserved strip of land, one mile in width, along the Niagara river.
Aliens being legally incompetent to hold and convey real estate, the lands
of the Dutch proprietors within the state of New York were purchased for
their account from Robert Morris, and conveyed, for their benefit, to
trustees. On the nth of April, 1796, a special act was passed for the relief
of Wilhem Willink, Nicholas Van Staphorst, Christian Van Eeghen, Hen-
drick VoUenhoven, Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck, and Pieter Stadnitski ;
and on the Z4th of February, 1797, a supplementary act was passed, includ-
ing the names of Jan Willink, Jacob Van Staphorst, Nicholas Hubbard,
Pieter Van Eeghen, Isaac Ten Cate, Jan Stadnitski, and Aernout Van Beef-
tingh. By these two acts, the trustees were authorized to hold the lands
contracted and paid for by all or any of these individuals, and for the period
of seven years to sell the same to citizens of the United States. Under the
general alien act of April 2d, 1798, the titles were afterwards vested in the
names of the Dutch proprietors by new conveyances. By this general act,
which was to continue for three years, all conveyances to aUens, not being
.the subjects of powers or states at war with the United States, were declared
to be valid, so as to vest the estate in such aliens, their heirs and assigns for-
ever. The construction of this was settled by an act passed March 5th, 18 19,
which declared and enacted that all conveyances made to aliens under the
THE HOLLAND PURCHASE. 67
act of April, 1798, should be deemed valid, and vest the lands thereby con-
veyed in the several grantees, so as to authorize them and their heirs and
assigns, although aliens, to devise or convey the same to any other alien or
aliens, not being the subjects of a power or state at war with the United
States.
The lands purchased by the Holland Land Company embraced an area
of about 3,600,000 acres, and were originally conveyed in several tracts or
parcels, and at different times, by Robert Morris, to trustees for the benefit
of the Dutch proprietors. The first tract thus conveyed, called the " Million
and a half Acre Tract," embracing 422 chains and 56 links off the west part
of range 7, and all the land west thereof to the Pennsylvania line, was con-
veyed, December 24, 1792, in two parcels. The first of these, containing
one million acres, embraced the eastern part of the tract ; the second parcel,
the western part, comprehending ranges 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, as laid down
on EUicott's map.
The second tract, called the "One Million Acre Tract," was conveyed
February 27, 1793, and embraced townships 5 to 16, inclusive, in range i ;
4 to 1 6 in ranges 2 and 3 ; and i to 4 in ranges 4, 5 and 6.
The third tract, called the " Eight Hundred Thousand Acre Tract," was
conveyed July 20, 1793.
The fourth tract, called the " Three Hundred Thousand Acre Tract,'' was
conveyed July 20, 1793. Though named as being a single tract, it embraced
three different parcels, neither two of them consisting of contiguous territory.
The first of these parcels comprehended townships i, 2, 3, and the east half
of 4, of range i, and i, 2 and 3, of ranges 2 and 3, intended tcr contain
200,000 acres." The second and third parcels comprehended 113 chains
and 68 links of the east part of range 7, which was not included in the
million and a half acres before described. The portion of this strip lying
south of the Buffalo creek reservation, was intended to contain 54,000 acres,
and the part north of the reservation, 46,000 acres.
The names of the trustees to whom the conveyances were made by
Morris, were not in all cases the same, as will appear from the following
statement of the chain of title to each tract :
Deed of first tract [1,500,000 acres], i. Robert Morris to Herman Le
Roy and John Lincklaen, December 31, 1792. 2. Le Roy and Lincklaen
to William Bayard, May 30, 1795. 3. Wm. Bayard to Le Roy, Lincklaen,
and Gerrit Boon, June i, 1795. 4. Le Roy, Lincklaen and Boon to Paul
Busti, July 9, 1798. 5. Busti to Le Roy, Bayard, James McEvers, Linck-
laen, and Boon, upon trust for the benefit of Wilhem Willink and others,
with covenant to convey the same according to their direction and appoint-
ment— deed dated July 10, 1798. 6. Le Roy, Bayard, McEvers, Linck-
laen, and Boon, to Wilhem Willink, Nicholas Van Staphorst, Pieter Van
Eeghen, Hendrick Vollenhoven, and Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck, Dec.
31, 1798. 7. The title of the last named grantees was confirmed to them
by Thomas L. Ogden ahd Gouverneur Morris, by deed, February 18, 1801.
68 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Deed of second tract [1,000,000 acres], i. Robert Morris to Le Roy,
Lincklaen, and Boon, Feb. 27, 1793, confirmed after the extinguishment of
the Indian tide, by deed between the same parties, June i, 1798. 2. Le
Roy, Lincklaen, and Boon to Paul Busti, July 9, 1798. 3. Busti to Le Roy,
Bayard, McEvers, Lincklaen, and Boon, in trust for the benefit of Wilhem
Willink and others, July 10, 1798. 4. Le Roy, Bayard, McEvers, Linck-
laen, and Boon, to Wilhem Willink and others, December 31, 1798. 5.
The title of the last named grantees was confirmed to them by Thomas L.
Ogden, February 13, 1801.
Deed of the third tract [800,000 acres], i. Robert Morris to Le Roy,
Lincklaen, and Boon, July 20, 1793, confirmed after the extinguishment of
the Indian title, by deed between the same parties, June i, 1798. 2. Le
Roy, Lincklaen, and Boon, to Paul Busti, July 9, 1798. 3. Busti to Le Roy,
Bayard, McEvers, Lincklaen, and Boon, in trust for Wilhem Willink and
others, July 10, 1798. 4. Le Roy, Bayard, McEvers, Lincklaen, and Boon,
to Wilhelm Willink and others, July 10, 1798. 5. The title of the last
named grantees was confirmed by Thomas L. Ogden, Feb. 13, 1801.
Deed of the fourth tract [300,000 acres], i. Robert Morris to Le Roy,
Bayard, and Thomas Clarkson, July 20, 1793, confirmed after the extin-
guishment of the Indian title, by deed between the same parties, June i,
1798. 2. Le Roy, Bayard, and Clarkson, to Paul Busti, July 9, 1798. 3.
Busti to Le Roy, Bayard, and Clarkson, in trust for Wilhem Willink and
Jan Willink, July 10, 1798. 4. Le Roy, Bayard, and Clarkson, to Wilhem
Willink, Jan Willink, Wilhem Willink, Jr., and Jan Willink, Jr., as joint
tenants, Jan. 3r, 1799. 5. Title of last named grantees confirmed by T. L.
Ogden, Feb. 27, 1801.
It appears from the foregoing that all the lands of the Company were con-
veyed by the trustees to Paul Busti, of Philadelphia, an alien. The design
of this conveyance, it is presumed, was merely to change the title of the
trust estate to the hands of Busti, who was general agent of the proprietors
in Holland.
The necessity of the confirmatory deeds of Thomas L. Ogden and Gouver-
neur Morris will appear from the following facts : Two judgments against
Robert Morris had been docketed in the supreme court of the state of New
York, which were found to overreach the titles of several of the purchasers
under him. The first was in favor of Wm. Talbot and Wm. Allum, docketed
June 8, 1797 ; the second, in favor of Solomon Townsend, docketed August
10, 1798. Previously to the year 1800, an execution was issued on the last
judgment ; and all the lands conveyed to Morris by Massachusetts were sold,
and conveyed by the sheriff of Ontario county to Thomas Mather, in whose
name actions of ejectment founded upon this conveyance were prosecuted
in the court In the spring of 1800, during the pendency of these ejectments,
an execution was issued on the earlier judgment ; and the whole tract of
country was again levied upon and advertised for sale by the sheriff.
Under these circumstance, Mr. Busti, the general agent of the Holland
THE HOLLAND PURCHASE. 69
Land Company, entered into an arrangement with Gouvemeur Morris, -the
assignee of the earher judgment, to put an end to the claims set up under
both judgments. It was agreed that both judgments, and also a release of
Mather's interest under the sheriff's deed to him, should be purchased by the
Land Company, which was done ; and the judgments were assigned to the
Company, April 22, 1800 ; that of Townsend by his attorney, Aaron Burr ;
that of Talbot and AUum, by Gouvemeur Morris, the assignee of Robert
Morris. Articles of agreement were at the same time entered into between
Thomas L. Ogden of the first part, the individuals of the Holland Company
of the second part, and Gouvemeur Morris of the third part, by which it was
agreed that the release from Mather should be taken in the name of Thomas
L. Ogden ; that he should also become the purchaser at the approaching sale
under the judgment of Talbot and Allum ; and that the title thus derived
under both judgments should be held by him in trust for the purposes
expressed in the agreement.
It was provided in that instrument, that the million and a half acre tract
should be held subject to the issue of amicable suit, to be instituted on the
equity side of the circuit of the United States for the district of New York,
to determine the operation and effect of the conveyance of this tract by
Robert Morris, so that if, by a decree of that court, or of the supreme court
of the United States, in case of an appeal, such conveyance should be
adjudged to be absolute and indefeasible, then the tract should be released
and confirmed by Gouvemeur Morris to the Holland LandCompany. It
was further provided by this agreement, that the residue of the entire tract
of country should be released and confirmed by Thomas L. Ogden to the
several proprietors under Robert Morris, according to the award and appoint-
ment of Alexander Hamilton, David A. Ogden and Thomas Cooper.
In pursuance of this agreement, Mather's rights under the sale on Town-
send's judgment, were conveyed to Thomas L. Ogden, April 22, 1800; and
a sale having been made under the execution issued upon the judgment of
Talbot and Allum, the entire tract of country, as to all the interest which
Robert Morris had therein on the 8th of June, 1797, was conveyed by Roger
Sprague, sheriff of Ontario county, by deed dated May 13, 1800. Hamilton,
D. A. Ogden and Cooper made an award or appointment, January 22, 1801,
directing conveyances by Thomas L. Ogden, of the whole of the lands to the
several grantees under Robert Morris, the parcels to be conveyed to each to
be defined by appropriate descriptions and boundaries. In conformity with
this appointment, the several confirmations were executed by Thomas L.
Ogden.
■JO HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY.
The first inquiry suggested to the reader of a history of any country or
territory, is : "Where, when, and by whom was its settlement commenced?"
Amongst the diverse and conflicting statements respecting the earliest settle-
ment in Chautauqua county, it is difficult, if not impossible, to answer the
question. It was the purpose of the writer not to become a party in this
controversy, but to present sketches of the several early settlements, without
any allusion to the discussion which has so long agitated the public mind.
It has, however, been repeatedly intimated that this would not be satisfactory
to the people generally. And as many are known to be looking for the
result of the author's investigation of this question, he deems it proper to
present such facts and statements as have come to his knowledge, for the
consideration of those who think the subject worthy of investigation.
The late Hon. Samuel A. Brown, in a course of lectures at the Academy
in Jamestown, in 1843, said in his second lecture: "Col. McMahan and Mc-
Henry, both from Pennsylvania, may, with propriety, I think, be styled the
pioneers of Chautauqua county, as they were the first who purchased and set-
tled with the intention of making this county their permanent residence ;
though one Amos Settle had resided from 1796 to 1800 on the Cattaraugus
bottoms in Hanover ; was then absent two or three years ; but afterwards
returned and became a permanent resident."
This statement was probably made on the authority of Heiuy H. Hawkins,
of Silver Creek, who, in a letter to Mr. Brown, dated Hanover, Feb. 2, 1843,
wrote as follows :
" Sir : Amos Sottle came on to the Cattaraugus bottoms, and settled in
the year 1796, being then about twenty-one years old, and has resided here
ever since that time, with the exception of between two and three years,
from about 1800 or 1801, which he spent in what was then called the North-
western Territory. He is one who helped make the survey of the whole
country in 1798 and 1799, under Joseph EUicOtt, surveyor of the Holland
Land Company."
Judge Warren, in his History of Chautauqua County, published in 1846,
says :
" The first purchase of lands for the purpose of settlement within the
present limits of this county, was made by Gen. McMahan, in i8oi.
* * * The first attempt to subdue the dense forest was made in 1802,
by CoL James McMahan, near where the village of Westfield is now
located. On this spot ten acres weK cleared, and the first dwelling of the
white man erected. Edward McHeriry settled on an adjoining tract during
the same year. These jwere tKe first locations of proprietors within the
county, with the intention of making it a permanent residence. It should be
mentioned, however, that for nearly four years previously to 1800, Amos
Sottle had resided near Cattaraugus creek, in the present town of Hanover.
After which he was absent for several years, and finally returned and became
a permanent citizen."
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY. /I
Another says: "In 1796, one Amos Sottle located in Hanover, but
removed in 1800 from the county, and did not return for several years."
Turner, in his History of the Holland Purchase, says : " The first white
resident of Chautauqua was Amos Sottle. He had resided near the mouth
of Cattaraugus creek for three years before the sale of the Holland Com-
pany's lands commenced." ^
The State Gazetteer says : " The first settlement in the county was made
at the mouth of Cattaraugus creek, in 1797, by Amos Sottle. Soon after
making the first improvements, Sottle left, and returned in 1801, with Mr.
Sydney and Capt. Rosecrantz."
Judge Foote, in a communication in the Mayville Sentinel, of July 20,
1859, gives the result of his investigation of the subject, as follows :
" Editor Sentinel : I thank you for your efforts to preserve the early
history of our county; and I trust the people will gratefully appreciate your
efforts. In your article in the Sentinel, oi hyA 20 [1859], are some mistakes
that should be corrected, lest they become conceded as facts, and copied as
such by future historians. Amos Sottle was not the first white settler in the
county, although I know he claimed to be, and to have settled in the east part
of the town of Hanover, in 1796.
" By a reference to the surveyors' minutes of the meridian and township
line surveys, made in 1798-9, copies of which are in the County Clerk's office,
it will be seen that Sottle was an axeman under Amzi Atwater, one of the
principal surveyors, although his name does not appear in the list of surveyors
in Turner's History of the Holland Purchase. The surveyors, as required,
returned a list of their assistants and their places of residence, and the
capacity in which they served. Sottle was reported as a resident of Chenango
county, N. Y. ; and I presume the first time he ever saw the land where he
subsequently settled, was when Atwater surveyed the 9th meridian, or present
line between the counties of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus, in 1798. He was
also an axeman in 1799. After he left the surveyors he went into the North-
west Territory, and was there some years, but finally returned and settled in
the present town of Hanover, about 1804, and resided there with his squaw,
or colored wife, until his death, about 1848 or '49. His statements were not
very reliable. I do not find his name on any land records for several years
after his actual residence in the county. Col. James McMahan was unques-
tionably the first bona fide white settler in the county ; he and his elder
brother. Gen. John McMahan, having been early and conspicuous pioneers,
and the first purchasers of land in the county."
It is difficult to determine, from these statements, who was the first actual
settler. Mr. Brown thinks McMahan and McHenry are properly styled the
pioneers of Chautauqua ; yet he says Sottle had resided on the Cattaraugus
from 1796 to 1800, and then was absent two or three years, and afterwards
became a permanent resident. This would seem to indicate that Mr. B. did
not consider Sottle a settler until after his second residence, which, if he had
been absent two or three years, must have commenced in about 1802 or
1803. Judge Warren's statement naturally leads to the same conclusion.
Turner gives Sottle a residence at Cattaraugus, and probably considered him
a settler. The State Gazetteer states that he made a settlement there in
1797 ; and on the same page refers to Judge Foote to prove that the first
72 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
settlement in the county was made in 1794, which nobody here beHeves, nor
has the Judge ever authorized such statement. From such contradictory
statements, who can decide the question ? The first inquiry then should be
respecting the credibility of authors. These authors probably made no thorough
investigation. Messrs. Brown and Warren both state that Joh7i McMahan
bought the town of Ripley, ^.nA. James McMahan bought 4,000 acres in West-
field. Mr. B. could not have made close inquiry, or he would not have
committed so palpable an error ; and Judge Warren probably copied it, pre-
suming it to be correct. But a worse error is that of the State Gazetteer.
And so numerous are the mistakes of Mr. Turner in regard to the settlement
of this county, that his authority is not reliable. He, too, makes James
McMahan the purchaser of Westfield, and the builder of mills at the mouth
of Chautauqua creek. And he also calls Sottle the first white resident of
Chautauqua, and McMahan " the pioneer settler."
This exposure of the errors of these writers is not intended to invalidate
the claim of either party to priority of settlement ; but only to show that
their several publications are not reliable authority. A hasty canvass for
the material of a history has been made, and the statements have been pub-
lished without seeking confirmation from any other source. Presuming them
to be correct, later authors have copied them, and thus have aided in trans-
mitting them to succeeding generations. Hence we are still left to form
opinions, in a great measure, from oral testimony from early settlers, long
since deceased, through those of a later generation ; especially so in the
case of the Cattaraugus settlement, which shows no record of a purchase ot
land prior to that of Charles Avery, in 1804. It is, however, generally con-
ceded that Sottle (or rather, Sawtel, as hig name appears in the list of sur-
veyors) was there at an earlier date ; and we have his word that he was a
settler before there was one at Westfield. It is urged by. the other party,
that his word is not reliable, his veracity having been impeached in court by
a score or more of witnesses. Several others, however, have certified their
belief in his credibility.
The foregoing is a summary of the testimony on which the parties in this
controversy have based their respective claims. Other facts, however, have
come to the knowledge of the writer, which, as a faithful historian, he deems
it his duty to add to what has been given.
An early resident of the county says Sottle, long before his death, told
him that he lived, at first, for a time with the Indians. Another old settler
confirms this statement, and adds, that Sottle gave as a reason for leaving the
Indians, and settling on the south side of the creek, that he might accumu-
late property for his individual use and benefit.
Some concede Sottle's claim to having an earlier home or residence at
Cattaraugns, than that of James McMahan at Westfield ; but question the
propriety of calling the place a settlement. No clearings of consequence
were made, nor was grain raised. Wm. Sydney, who came with Sottle from
Ohio, to ferry emigrants across the creek, built a log house for their enter-
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY. "Jl
tainrnent; but it is known that, as late as 1804, travelers were unable to
procure forage for their teams, except from Indians in the vicinity. In cor-
roboration of this statement, John Mack, son of John Mack who, in 1806,
bought the Sydney tavern and ferry, wrote to this county, in 1873, as follows:
"There were then [1806] but three white men on Cattaraugus Flats —
Amos Sottle, Ezekiel Lane, and Charles Avery. Settle and Lane had buUt
cabins, made small improvements, and resided in them. Common report
says Amos Sottle came to Cattaraugus in 1797, located ij4 miles from the
mouth of the creek, and made improvements as above stated, and where he
lived in 1806. There was no land cleared for grain raising; and no grain to
be had, except that bought of the Indians to supply our own wants or those
of the traveler. These wants were soon remedied by the energy and perse-
verance of early settlers.
" The ferrying of the creek was very unsafe. A small scow only, sufficient
to float a wagon placed therein by hand. Horses and oxen were taken over
separately, or caused to swim the river by the side of a canoe, guided by a
line. My father soon provided a safe conveyance, by building a scow suffi-
ciently large to transport teams of all kinds. The tavern was kept by widow
Sydney in a small log cabin with leantoes attached, which served for lodging
rooms and stowaways, and a plank addition serving as parlor and dining
room. Her husband had died a short time previous."
Whatever difference of opinion may exist respecting the claims of the
respective parties to priority of settlement, it will not be disputed that
the first settlement of any considerable extent was commenced at what
was long known as Cross Roads, in the present town of Westfield, by
persons from the state of Pennsylvania. Among the first of these immi-
grants were John and James McMahan. After an examination of the lands
along the lake, they made contracts for large tractsin 1801. John's purchase
embraced the whole of township 4, in range 14, containing 22,014 acres,
which, at $2.50 per acre, amounted to $55,035. He paid down $1,035 J ^^
remainder to be paid in eight annual installments with annual interest.
James contracted for a tract in township 3, range 15. This tract extended
from the lake shore about 2 miles south, and from the east line of the
township [now Ripley], about 3j{ miles westward to within about half a
mile of the village of Quincy, containing 4,074 acres ; the terms of payment
similar to those expressed in the contract made with his brother John. These
contracts, though considered as made in 1801, were not perfected, or fully
executed, until May and July, 1803, after portions of the land had been sold
by the first contractors. The early settlers on these lands bought o£ the
McMahans, the Land Company giving title deeds on the payment to them
of the purchase money, which was credited on the McMahans' contract with
the company.
Although James' purchase was in Ripley, he selected and bought for him-
self, within his brother's tract, a lot on which he settled, about three-fourths
of a mile west of Chautauqua creek, and which extended east to the old
" Cross Roads.''
74 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
The next spring, [1802,] Mr. McMahan commenced clearing his farm, and
is said to have cleared about ten acres, which he planted and sowed the rirst
season. This was the first field cleared in the county. Although Mr.
McMahan had previously built a log house, and was properly the first settler,
he did not move his family into it, it is said, until late in r8o2. The first
family was that of Edward McHenry, at the " Cross Roads," so called from
its being the place where the Buffalo & Erie road crossed the old " Portage
Road." At the solicitation of McMahan, as is said, McHenry came with
him, not only to settle, but to keep a house of entertainment for emigrants
westward, " New' Connecticut," in Ohio, being then rapidly settling from the
East. A few months after McHenr/s arrival, his son John was bom, the first
child in the county born of white parents. The death of the father the
next year, who was drowned in the lake by the capsizing of a small boat,
while on his way to Erie to obtain a supply of provisions, was the first death
of a white settler in the county. His two companions were saved by cling-
ing to the boat. His body, it is said, was never recovered.
In the discussion of the conflicting claims of different places in the
county to priority of settlement, it is somewhat strange that Col. McMahan
should have been so long spoken of as the earliest settler here. On his
tour of inspection in iSor, with a view to a location, he was accompanied
by one Andrew Straub, a Pennsylvania German, who selected for himself a
place a short distance east of where the village of Westfield now is, and
built on it a house and occupied it the same year. He made clearings and
resided there many years. The stream on or near which he settled, derived
its name from him, and was long known as " Straub's Creek.'' Stones from
his fireplace, and other relics of his house, have been found at a compara-
tively recent date ; and there are persons now living who have personal
knowledge of his residence here. He had no family. After the lands were
surveyed, he contracted for 450 acres.
After the settlement of Col. McMahan and Mr. McHenry, settlers came
in rapidly. Most of them settled on the road early opened towards Erie :
David Kincaid, who bought in November, 1802, north of McMahan's ; in
1803, Arthur Bell, in January; Christopher Dull, in June; James Mont-
gomery, in July ; and Andrew Straub, in September ; all of whom are
believed to have settled on their lands the year of their purchase, except
Straub, who is known to have settled on his a year or two earlier, and before
the land was surveyed into lots ; and Culbertson, George and John
Degeer — all of whom, it is said, came from Pennsylvania. Also Jeremiah
George, who bought in 1803; Jacob George and Laughlin McNeil, in 1804;
and George Whitehill, in 1805, are believed to have settled at or near the
times of their purchases. In 1806 and 1807, came David Eason, Matthew
McClintock and Low Minigerfrom Canadaway, [Fredonia,] who also were
from Pennsylvania, and who had resided one or two years at Fredonia.
Miniger settled on a farm about a mile east from the village of Westfield, in
1806. McClintock also, before Eason, came to Westfield, having sold his
t^^^^-^^rH'
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY. 75
land at Canadaway to Judge Gushing, Hezekiah Barker and others. He
opened a tavern at Westfield, and owned, it is said, the larger portion of the
site of the village. He afterwards moved to what was since known as the
Bradley farm, below Westfield ; thence to Ripley, and finally to Illinois,
where he died in 1838. David Eason, in the winter of 1806-7, sold his farm
to Hezekiah Turner, and on the 31st of March, 1807, came to Westfield,
having purchased of John McMahan, on the east side of Chautauqua creek,
about 150 acres in what is now the south-east part of the village, east of
South Portage street. [See David Eason in historical sketch of Westfield.]
In Ripley, Alexander Cochran, a native of Ireland, and the first settler in
that town, settled in 1804, about a mile west of Quincy. Along the Erie
road, west of the Westfield line, the following named persons were early pur-
chasers : Charles Forsyth, William Alexander, Farley Fuller, Basil Burgess,
Robert Dickson, Thomas Prendergast, Oliver Loomis, Josiah Farnsworth,
Asa Spear, Israel Goodrich, Wm. Crosgrove, Nathan Wisner, Andrew Spear,
Perry G. Ellsworth, Noah P. Hayden, Hugh Whitehill, Samuel Harrison,
and others, bought in Ripley prior to and including the year 1809 ; and most
of them probably settled on their lands the years of their purchases.
The settlement at the " Cross Roads " was soon followed by that at Cana-
daway, which place took its name from the name of the creek, and embraced
the site of the present village of Fredonia and the surrounding country. The
first three settlers there were Thomas McClintock, David Eason, and Low
Miniger, all from Pennsylvania. All, it is believed, settled the same year,
and so nearly at the same time, as to render it uncertain who was first on the
ground. The first purchase was undoubtedly made by McClintock, who, as
appears from the Company's book, entered as early as Dec. 22, 1803, lots
or parts of lots 8, 14 and 20, township 6, range 12, embracing most of the
land on which the village of Fredonia stands. In 1804, he made a small
beginning at clearing, and built a cabin. The land was not yet surveyed
into lots. It is said that " the lands were afterwards surveyed into lots by
George Moore, of Erie, under a contract between Mr. EUicott and Mr.
McClintock," the latter then residing in Erie county. Pa. David Eason, of
Northumberland county, Pa., also selected land near McClintock's, subse-
quently owned by Gen. Elijah Risley, in the north part of the village of
Fredonia, and erected a log cabin. He spent here the summers of 1803 and
1804, and went back to spend the winters.
In the spring of 1805 he was married, and in April he set out with Low
Miniger, Samuel Eason, a cousin of David, and one Covert, and their families,
for Lake Erie. They ascended the west branch of the Susquehanna and
the Sinemahoning, through the wilderness to Olean, where Major Adam
Hoops had just commenced a settlement, having been six weeks on the way,
and camped out. most of the nights. Here they built canoes ; descended
the Allegany to Warren ; came up the Connewango creek and Chautauqua
lake to its head ; and thence over the Portage road to McMahan's settlement.
Covert left them at Warren, and went down the Allegany. Samuel Eason
^6 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
went to North-east, where he soon died. David Eason and Miniger proceeded
to Canadaway. McClintock arrived there about the same time, and occupied
his cabin in the south part of the village, near where Judge Gushing subse-
quently lived and died. Miniger settled a mile or more north-west from the
village.
None of these men were in better than moderate circumstances ; Mr. Eason
was quite poor ; and he and his wife entered their cabin with little else than
their hands. He had but $io in money, which he paid for a barrel of flour
brought from Canada across the lake. Upon this, with fish and wild game,
he relied for subsistence until he could raise vegetables, which were their
principal food during the first year. Seated on lands so desirable in respect
to fertility and location, it was natural to suppose they would have become
permanent settlers at Canadaway. Yet but little more than a year elapsed
before they all sold their lands and removed to the settlement at the Cross
Roads.
Canadaway, too, increased rapidly in population. We find on the Land
Company's books, the names of purchasers in the present town of Pomfret,
in 1805, Eliphalet Burnham, Zattu Cushing, Samuel Perry, Augustus Burnham.
In 1806, purchases were made by Philo Orton, Elijah Risley, David Cooley,
Jr. In 1806 and 1807 came Hezekiah Barker and Richard Williams, who
built a grist mill. Dr. Squire White came in 1809. Thomas Bull bought in
1808. Outside of Pomfret, but within a few miles of Fredonia, in the present
town of Sheridan, early considered as embraced in the Canadaway settlement,
Francis and Wm. Webber, Hazadiah Stebbins, Abner and Alanson Holmes,
bought in 1804. In 1805, Gerard Griswdld, Orsamus Holmes, Joel R. Lee,
John Walker, Wm. Gould, Jonathan Webber, and others. In 1806, Ozias
Hart, Justus Hinman. In 1807, Abiram Orton, in what is now Arkwright.
Portland was settled early. James Dunn, from Lycoming county, Pa.,
came to this county in 1803. In May, 1804, he bought a large tract of land,
before it was surveyed into lots. His purchase amounted to nearly 1,200
acres. Among those who soon followed him were Benjamin Hutchins,
David Eaton, Nathan and Elisha Fay and Peter Kane, who purchased in
1806.
In Hanover, the earliest purchases were made in that part of the town
lying on Cattaraugus creek, and which was surveyed as " Cattataugus Vil-
lage." Charles Avery and Wm. G. Sydney appear on the Land Company's
book as purchasers in December, 1804; Amos Settle, in July, 1806; and
Sylvanus Maybee articled land transferred to him by Charles Avery, who
bought in i8o6. Abel Cleveland and David Dickinson bought where the
village of Silver Creek stands. The land was taken up in 1803 or 1804, and
the greater part of it articled to John E. Howard. The settlement appears
to have been slow for several years, as Mr. Howard is said to have been, in
1806, the only settler there. Artemas Clothier came in 1808 or 1809, and
Norman Spink the same year. Jehial Moore came to Forestville in 1808,
and built a saw-mill. In 1809, he brought his family in, and erected a grist-
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY. 77
mill, which he finished the next spring. The same year, Guy Webster and
Joseph Brownell settled in the south-east part of the town.
The earliest settlement in the south-east part of the county was made at
the present village of Kennedy, in the town of Poland, followed by tiie
settlement of a few' families in the present town of Ellicott Dr. Thomas
R. Kennedy, of Meadville, Pa., in 1805, commenced the erection of saw-
mills, chiefly for the manufacture of pine lumber to be run down by water to
the southern market. To these inills was subsequently added a grist-mill.
[For a minute description of the building and operation of these mills, see
historical sketch of Poland.] For several years there were few families
here, besides those employed in the milling business. Among them was
that of Edward Shillito, who boarded Kennedy's workmen. Dr. Ken-
nedy never moved his own family to this place. In the south-west part of
Poland we find, as original purchasers, in 1808, Gideon Gilson ; in 1809,
Stephen Hadley, John Owen and John Arthur ; in 1810, John Brown and
Colt and Marlin ; in 181 1, Abraham Tupper. How many of these became
actual settlers we have not the means of knowing. ^
In the east part of Ellicott, at and near Levant, a settlement was com-
menced in 1806 by Wm. Willson, followed soon by James Culbertson and
George W. Fen ton. In 1807, Dr. Kennedy and Edward Work bought some
1,200 acres on both sides of the outlet below Dexterville ; and mills were
built and a settlement commenced at Worksburg, in Ellicott, nearly three
miles north-east from Jamestown, now known as Falconer's, a station on the
Dunkirk, Allegany "Valley & Pittsburgh railroad.
In the town of Chautauqua, Alexander Mclntyre appears to have been
the first purchaser, at the head of the lake, in r8o4. In 1806, the Prender-
gast families settled on the west side of the lake, where they purchased
several thousand acres. On the east side of the lake, Filer Sacket and
Peter Barnhart bought in 1805, and Miles Scofield in 1806. Further north,
Philo Hopson, William and Darius Dexter, and John W. Winsor, in 1809.
In EUery, Wm. Bemus settled at Bemus Point in 1806, and later in the same
year Jeremiah Griffith in the south part of the town, where a number of
families soon followed. Ii> Harmony, north of Ashville, Thomas Bemus
commenced a clearing in 1806, and in 1807 Jonathan Cheney settled. At
Ashville, Reuben Slayton and others settled in 1809. Josiah Carpenter and
several of his sons settled in 1809 and 18 10, on lands bought by him in 1808.
South of Jamestown, a settlement was commenced on the Stillwater creek,
•in Kiantone. Joseph Akin was the first settler there, in 1810. (?) Soon after,
in the vicinity of Akin's and in other parts of the town, came Solomon
Jones, Wm. Sears, Ebenezer Davis, Ebenezer Cheney, and William and
Isaac Martin. About the same time was commenced the settlement at
Jamestown, where, however, there were few families before the war of 181 2.
The foregoing are the principal settlements made prior to the organiza-
tion of the county in 1811.
78 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
PIONEER HISTORY.
Early Dwellings.
The labors of the pioneer commence with the opening of a place in the
forest for the erection of a dwelling. A description of those early domiciles,
familiarly termed log cabins, may be interesting to readers who were bom
and reared in the " ceiled houses " of their fathers, and especially to their
descendants, who will never see a structure of this kind.
Trees of uniform size, as nearly as may be, are selected, cut into pieces of
the desired length, and carried or hauled to the site of the proposed building.
There is at each corner an expert hand with an axe to saddle and notch the
logs. The saddling is done by so hewing the end of the log as to give the
upper half the shape of the roof of a building. A notch is then cut into
the next log to fit the saddle,, and of such depth as to bring the logs together.
The usual height was one story. The gable was laid up with logs gradually
shortened up to the top eg- peak, giving the shape or pitch of the roof. On
the logs which formed these gables, were laid stout poles reaching from one
gable to the other, at suitable distances, to hold the covering, which con-
sisted of bark peeled from elm or basswood trees. The strips of bark were
about four feet long, and about two or three feet wide, and laid in tiers, each
lapping on the preceding one, after the manner of shingling. The bark was
kept down by a heavy pole laid across each tier, and fastened at the ends.
Sometimes, instead of bark, a kind of shingles was used, split from straight
rifted trees, and resembling undressed staves of flour or liquor barrels. These
were by some called shakes. They were laid about two feet to the weather.
They were then fastened down* by heavy poles, called weight poles, as in
the case of bark roofs.
At one end of the building, a square -about 8 feet in length and 5 or 6
feet in height is cut out, and the space filled by a stone wall laid in clay or
mortar for a fire-place. The chimney, resting on props made in various
ways, was commenced at a proper height above the hearth, very wide, to
correspond with the broad fire-place beneath it. It was built with split
sticks of timber, resembling common strip lath, but being much larger.
They were laid up in the manner of a cob-house, the chimney being gradu-
ally narrowed upward to the top, where its size was about the same as was
that of an ordinary brick chimney of a frame house fifty years ago. The
inside was plastered with clay or mud and chopped straw, the latter answering •
the same purpose as hair in the mortar used in plastering the inside walls of
a house. This " stick chimney," or " stick and clay chimney,'' was far from
being fire-proof. Fire would sometimes be communicated to the sticks from
burning soot, and alarm the family. A speedy application of water thrown
up plentifully inside, soon allayed all fears.
A door-way was cut through one side of the house, and split pieces for
door posts, sometimes called " door-cheeks," were pinned to the ends of the
EARLY DWELLINGS. 79
logs with wooden pins. For the want of boards to make doors, a blanket
was used to close the door entrance until boards could be obtained. The
hinges and the latch were both made of wood. The latch was raised from
the outside by a string passing through the door and fastened to the latch
inside. The safety of the family during the night was effected by drawing in
the latchstring. Floors were made of split slabs, hewed on one side, and
were sometimes called puncheons. For a window, a hole was cut in the wall
large enough to admit a sash of four or ^Lx panes of 7 by 9 glass.
When glass could not be had, the hole was sometimes closed with paper
pasted over it. The interstices or cracks between the logs were filled with
mud or clay. The larger cracks or chinks were -partly closed with split
pieces of wood before the mortar was applied.
Immigrants from a great distance brought no bedsteads. A substitute was
made by boring holes in the walls, in a corner of the house, into which the
ends of poles were fitted. Three corners of the bedstead being thus fast-
ened to the walls, it required but a single post. It now wanted only a cord,
which was sometimes made of elm or basswood bark.
A view of the internal arrangements of one of these primitive dwellings
would be interesting to those who are unacquainted with pioneer life.
On entering, (supposing it to be meal time,) the smaller children are
seen standing or sitting around a large chest in which some of the more
valuable articles had been brought, and which now serves as a table ; the
parents and older children sitting at a table made, perhaps, of a wide
puncheon plank, partaking of their plain meal cooked by a log-heap fire.
In one corner of the room are one or two small shelves on wooden pins,
displaying the table ware, (when not in use,) consisting of a few teacups and
saucers, a few blue-edged plates, with a goodly number of pewter plates,
perhaps standing single, on their edges, leaning against the wall to render
the display of table furniture more conspicuous. Underneath this cupboard
are seen a few pots, a spider, and perhaps a bake-kettle. Not a sufficient
number of chairs — perhaps none — having been brought, the deficiency ha-s
been supplied with three-legged stools made of puncheon boards. Over the
door-way lies the indispensable rifle on two wooden hooks nailed to a log of
the cabin. On the walls hang divers garments of female attire made of
cotton and woolen fabrics, some of which had done long service before their
removal hither.
Log cabins were lighted in the night time in different ways. In absence
of candles and lamps, light was, through the winter season, emitted from the
fire-place, where huge logs were kept burning. A kind of substitute for
candles was sometimes prepared by taking a wooden rod ten or twelve
inches in length, wrapping around it a strip of cotton or linen cloth, and
covering it with tallow, pressed on with the hand. These " sluts,'' as the\'
were sometimes called, afforded light for several nights. Lamps were pre-
pared by dividing a large turnip in the middle, scraping out the inside quite
down to the rind, and then inserting a stick about three inches in length, in
80 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
the center, so as to stand upright. A strip of linen or cotton cloth was then
wrapped around it ; and melted lard or deer's tallow was poured in till the
turnip rind was full, when the lamp was ready for use. [Lamps of this
description were probably very rare.] By the light of these and other rudely
constructed lamps, the women spun and sewed, and the men read, when
books could be obtained. When neither lard nor tallow could be had, the
large blazing fire supplied the needed light. By these great fire-places many
skeins of thread have been spun, many a yard of linsey woven, and many a
frock and pantaloons made.
Living in houses like those described, was attended with serious discom-
forts. A single room served the purposes of kitchen, dining-room, sitting-
room, bed-room and parlor. In many families were six, eight or ten
children, who were, with their parents, crowded into one room. In one
comer was the father and mother's bed, and under it the trundle-bed for the
smaller children. The larger ones lodged in the chamber, which they
entered by a ladder in another corner, and sometimes made tracks to and
from their beds in the snow driven through the crevices by the wind. Nor
did the roofs, made of barks or " shakes," protect them from rains in the
summer. How visitors who came to spend the night were disposed of, the
reader may not easily conceive. Some, as their families increased, added to
their houses an additional room of the same size and manner of construction
as the former. Such were the dwellings and condition of many of the early
settlers of the Holland Purchase. A few of these men still linger among us,
in possession of ample fortunes, and in the enjoyment of the conveniences
and improvements of the present age — the reward of their early privations
and toils.
Clearing Land.
The lands in the county were covered with a dense and heavy forest. To
clear the soil of its timber required an amount of hard labor of which many
of its present occupants have no adequate conception. Many now living on
the hard-earned fortunes of their pioneer fathers and grandfathers, could not
be induced to enter upon a similar course of labor.
The first part of the clearing, process was " underbrushing." The bushes
and smallest sapplings were cut down near the ground and piled in heaps.
The trees were then felled, their bodies cut into lengths of 1 2 to 15 feet, and
the brush and small limbs of the trees were thrown into heaps. After the brush
heaps had become thoroughly dry, they were burned. As a " good bum "
was desirable, a dry time was chosen. The old leaves being dry and cover-
ing the ground, the whole field would be burned over, and an abundant crop
assured. The next part of the process was " logging," or log-rolling. This
required the associated labor of a number of men, who would, in turn, assist
each other. The neighbors, on invitation, would attend with their hand-
spikes. These were strong poles, about six feet in length, and flattened at
the larger end, in order to their being more easily forced under or between
WILD ANIMALS. 8 1
the logs. Logs too heavy to be carried, were drawn to the pile by a team,
[generally oxen,] and rolled up on the pile on skids, one end lying on the
ground, the other on the heap. The heaps were then burne^, and the soil
was ready for the seed. Most of the logging was done by " bees.'' A num-
ber of the neighbors would come with their teams, attended by a sufficient
number of extra hands ; and a whole field of several acres would be logged
in an afternoon. At these logging bees, as at house and barn raisings, was
generally a 2-gallon bottle — perhaps two — filled with whisky. Most of the
men were moderate drinkers ; some, however, gave indications, by their
many witty sayings, that they had overstepped the bounds of moderation.
But there were also, thus early, a few teetotal temperance men, whose incre-
dulity as to the magic power of strong drink as an assistant to manual labor,
had caused them to abandon its use.
Wild Animals.
The wild animals inhabiting this region at the time of its settlement, were
the deer, wolf, bear, wild cat, fox, otter, porcupine or hedge-hog, raccoon,
woodchuck or ground-hog, skunk, mink, muskrat, opossum, rabbit, weasel
and squirrel. None were much feared except the bear and the wolf The
former was the most dangerous ; the latter most destructive to property.
The bear is generally ready to attack a person ; the wolf seldom does so
unless impelled by hunger, or in defense. For many years it was difficult to
protect sheep from the ravages of the wolves. They had to be penned every
night. Many were destroyed, even in the day time, near the house. It is
the nature of the wolf to seize a sheep by the throat and suck its blood, and
leave the carcass as food for other carniverous animals ; provided the number
of sheep is sufficient thus to satisfy the hunger of their destroyers. Pigs and
calves also were sometimes victims to these pests of the early settlers. Per-
sons were followed by them to the doors of their dwellings ; and the sleep
of families was often disturbed during a great portion of the night by their
bowlings. " The noise made by these animals," as described by a citizen of
Stockton, " was not, as some imagine, a coarse bass growl, but a strong
crakely tenor. Seemingly a leader began the concert by a solo of a firm,
prolonged sound, when the rest would pitch in with a grand chorus of the
most terrible jargon of sounds, dying away at the place of beginning, as the
reverberations sounded over the far off hills."
To effect the destruction of these animals, bounties for their scalps were'
offered by the public authorities. The state offered a bounty of $20 for the
destruction of a full grown wolf, or half that sum for a young one ; and the
county gave the same bounty ; and most, if not all, of the towns gave not
less than $10 as a town bounty — making, in the aggregate, a bounty of $50
for the destruction of every full grown wolf This large bounty induced
hunters and trappers to devote much time to the destruction of wolves.
From an examination of the records by Judge Foote many years since, it was
found that the county paid in r8i5, $420; in 1816, $480; in 1817, $580;
Jf 6
82 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
in 1818, $710; in i8ig, $472; and in 1820, $510. The wolves having
become so reduced by these large bounties, the board of supervisors peti-
tioned the legislature to leave the amount of bounty discretionary with the
board; and the petition was granted. The bounty was reduced in 1820 to
$5 for every full grown wolf, and for every whelp $2.50. The same bounties
were voted the nejct year. To what amount bounties were paid subsequently
to 1820, the public records do not show. In 1834, " two certificates granted
by justices for killing wolves were allowed, and one, being informal, was
rejected." The records show no later action of the board in relation to
bounties.
As wolves hunt in the night, when they can not be shot, most of them
were probably caught in traps, of which there were several kinds. One
kind was a small pen built of small logs or heavy poles, 6 or 7 feet high,
and narrowed upward. Into this pen a bait was thrown. A wolf could
easily enter it at the top, but was unable to get out. Another was the steel
trap, with jaws a foot or more in length. The clamps were notched like a
cross-cut saw. It resembled, in form, a common spring rat trap. Attached
to it was a chain with hooks, not to fasten it, but to make it difficult for the
wolf to drag it. Caught, as he probably would be, by a fore leg while
trying to paw out the bait, if the trap were made fast, he would gnaw off his
leg and be gone. There have been still other traps, but descriptions of
them will not be attempted.
The following description of a wolf hunt is from the pen of Mr. Judge L.
Bugbee, of Stockton :
"Perhaps no town in the county suffered so severely as Stockton. The
deep recesses of the Cassadaga swamp, in this town, formed for the wolf a
secure retreat, where, during the day time, he could quietly digest his mutton
of the night before.
" At length, the inhabitants became deeply exasperated, and resolved on
the extermination of the wolf. Meetings were held and a plan devised.
"The battle ground was selected nearly east of the fork of the Cassadaga
and Bear creeks. The plan of battle was a simultaneous attack upon all
sides of the swamp at once. On the east the line was formed on the
town line, between Stockton and Charlotte ; on the north by the line of
lots near Cooper's mill ; on the west by the Cassadaga creek, and on the
south by another line of lots near the Swamp road, east of the residence of
Abel Brunson. The ground was prepared under the supervision of Col.
■Charles Haywood, of EUery, assisted by Return Tabor, Bela Todd, and
Royal Putnam. These lines were rendered very plain by blazing trees and
lopping brush.
" By previous arrangement, the forces met on the second day of October,
1824. The north line of attack was commanded by Gen. Leverett Barker,
of Fredonia, assisted by Elijah Risley and Walter Smith as lieutenants.
Col. Obed Edson, of Sinclairville, with Judge J. M. Edson and Joy Handy,
commanded the last division ; Major Asael Lyon and Gen. George T. Camp
on the west, and Col. Charles Haywood on the south, with Elias Clark, of
Ellery, as his lieutenant. These commanders all wore pistols in their belts
to designate their office, and were assisted by the four men as guides, who
WILD ANIMALS. 83
had prepared the lines a short time before. Before going into the swamp,
each division had chosen its place of rendezvous : The east at Sinclairville,
the north at Cassadaga village, the west at Delanti, and the south at the
residence of Newell Putnam, Esq., in the south part of Stockton. Dr.
Waterman Ellsworth, of Delanti, was the captain of the men from Stockton,
and very active in getting up the ' hunt'
" Early in the forenoon the men were all upon the ground, forming a con-
tinuous line and encircling a goodly portion of the swamp. Mr. Royal
Putnam, who assisted in marking the lines on all sides, thinks the square was
full one mile and a half upon each side. The number of men on the
lines were sufficient to be within easy speaking distance from each other.
The signal for advance was ' Boaz,' being given by Gen. Barker, and as it
returned, the lines moved forward in splendid order, growing more compact
until they arrived on the battle grounds, forming a square about one mile in
circumference, or eighty rods on a side. No man was to fire his gun until he
received the pass-word from the general, and it was known that the lines
were closed up. The men now stood shoulder to shoulder. ' Jachin,' the
pass-word, quickly made its round, and the signal gun was discharged, and
in a moment the firing became general. After the first discharge of fire-arms
the deer and rabbits within the lines became frantic with fright, making the
rounds and seeking an opening through which to escape. One stately buck,
making the rounds, gallantly charged the line, by forcing his head between
the legs of Charles P. Young, from ESery, and carrying him several rods
astride his neck, then bounding away, unharmed, into the free wilderness,
save perhaps a few sore ribs, from the numerous punches received by the
muskets in the hands of the men, before they had time to reload their pieces.
After all the game had been dispatched that could be seen, a committee of
three or more was sent within the inclosure, to search under old logs and
fallen trees to ascertain if any game had fled to any of these places for safety.
Dr. Ellsworth is the only man remembered as being upon that committee.
" After the return of the committee, the men, by orders, moved towards
the center of the inclosure, bringing in the game, consisting of two large
wolves, one bear, several deer and a large number of rabbits. The men
were evidently disappointed in the number of wolves captured, but after
speeches from a number of the officers, the woods rang with their hearty
cheers, and they resolved for another hunt, which took place in about three
weeks, killing one wolf and several deer and other small game. The third
hunt was in May, 1825 ; but no wolves were found, and only a few deer. The
fourth and last hunt under this organization was in June, 1828, but like the
two former, caught no wolves.
" The county had offered a large bounty for the scalp of the wolf, fifty
dollars or upward, and by resolution. Gen. Barker, Elijah Risley and Walter
Smith were elected a committee to forward the scalps, and obtain the money,
and expend it in ammunition, provision and whisky to assist the men in
future hunts. From this date, wolves ceased to be troublesome in this part
of the county, and very soon left our borders for more secure quarters."
A hazardous encounter with a bear is thus related by J. L. Bugbee, Esq., of
Stockton :
" Wyman Bugbee, of Ellington, in 1815, with two of his neighbors started
on a deer hunt; and his dog soon discovered and attacked a bear. The
outcry of the dog brought the hunters to the rescue. Wyman advanced and
84 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
made a pass at the bear with his axe, when Bruin, with a dexterous movement
with his paw, knocked the axe from his hands, dropped the dog, and with
his strong jaws laid hold of Wyman's leg just above the ankle. Then came
the 'tug of war;' and the result was, for sometime, doubtful. His com-
rades durst not shoot, as the position of the combatants was constantly
changing ; the bear still holding his grip on Bugbee's leg ; and his friends
undecided as to what it was best to do. Evidently, they did not wish to
hazard too much in the probability of becoming the chief party in the strug-
gle for life with this shaggy and fearful monster. However, they were con-
tiijually doing what they could, looking well to every dangerous position.
Bugbee soon gained the battle, by the aid of his jack-knife, cutting the
bear's throat ; but it was six months before he was able to leave his
house."
Among the materials of our early history, is the following account of a
bear eiuounter :
"In 1822, Jehiel Tiffany, returning through the woods to Jamestown,
treed a bear with three cubs, a short distance north of the village. He
came to the village and rallied several men with guns to go and kill the
bears. On arriving at the place, two of the cubs were spied high up in a pine
tree ; and John Pickard, a good marksman with a rifle, soon shot them both.
The other cub and the old bear not being discovered, most of the party
started for the village. Mr. Tiffany, Samuel Barrett, Thomas W. Harvey,
and John Pickard remained to watch for the missing bears. They soon
heard the cub in the top of a tall hemlock, the limbs of which were so dense
as to conceal the animal. Determined to capture it, Major Barrett climbed
the tree, and shook it from one of the highest limbs ; but in its fall it caught
another limb. From this, too, it was shaken, and again caught a limb lower
down. This limb being too stiff to admit of the cub's being shaken off,
Barrett cut the limb partly off with his jack-knife, when it lopped down, and
the bear fell to the ground, and was so stunned by the fall, that Gen. Harvey
caught it and tied its feet.
" When the cub made a noise, the old bear was heard near by in the
bushes. Harvey found that by biting the cub's ear, he could make it squeal.
This brought the old bear near, but not fully in sight. Pickard then stepped
off a few rods into the woods, and, while watching the bear, Harvey rallied the
bear by biting the cub's ear, and brought her in sight of Pickard, who sent
a rifle-ball into her head and neck. Pickard and Barrett, after having taken
out the entrails, brought her on a pole to the village, while Gen. Harvey
carried the cub home and tamed it."
Among the numerous instances of men's coming in contact with bears,
wolves, and other ravenous beasts, it is believed there is not one in which a
man has been killed.
Of the native animals of the forest which have disappeared, was the
porcupine or hedge-hog. It was nearly as large as a raccoon, had a round
head, and was covered all over with quills from an inch to two inches long,
and as hard and as sharp as a needle. It was a terror to dogs. Young
dogs, not knowing the consequence, would seize the animal, and get the
quills stuck into their mouths. It is the nature of these quills to work
deeper into the flesh and kill the dogs, if not extracted in season, which
*
EARLY FARMING. 85
was usually done with nippers. A dog once stuck with quills would not be
likely again to touch a porcupine.
But while the forest was infested with noxious animak, it was of no small
value as a hunting ground. Deer hunting in the winter was a common busi-
ness. Much of the meat of deer was sometimes lost. The hunter, if alone
and far from home, would shoulder the more valuable part — the hams and
skin — and leave the rest for the wolves ; or, as was sometimes done, he would
hang it to a sapling or a large limb of a tree, which had perhaps been bent down
for the purpose, and which, springing back, would raise the meat beyond the
reach of the wolves. Having delivered his first load at his cabin, he would
return, conducted by his tracks in the snow, and bring home the remainder.
The opossum, the rabbit and the squirrel, were also a part of the pioneer's
fare. To the variety of meats enumerated, may be added several of the
feathered tribes, as pigeons, wild turkeys, partridges, and several others.
But the principal meat of early settlers did not long consist of game.
Pork and poultry were soon raised in abundance. The common fowl fur-
nished meat and eggs. Geese, though sometimes eaten, were raised chiefly
for the feathers, with which old beds were replenished and new ones filled.
Doubtless, many still repose on beds made by their mothers or grahdmothers
half a century ago.
Early Farming.
Agriculture is a term hardly applicable to pioneer farming. The imple-
ments used would, in this age of improvement, attract attention as great
curiosities. The " virgin soil," as has been observed, was ready for the seed
when cleared of its timber. The principal instrument of tillage for several
years was the triangular harrow, usually called drag. This instrument con-
sisted principally of two pieces of timber, (hewed, before there were mills for
sawing,) about five inches square and six feet long, put together in the form
of the letter A. The drag was sometimes made of a crotched tree, and
needed no framing. The teeth were nearly double the size of those now
used, in order to stand the severe trial they were to undergo. The drag
bounded along over stubs and roots and stones, drawn by oxen often driven
by boys.
When the roots had become sufficiently brittle to admit of the use of the
plow, an instrument was used which it would puzzle the young men of the
present day to give a name. The idea of a cast iron plow had not then been
conceived by the inventor. It is said to have been invented by Jethro Wood,
of Sclpio, Cayuga county, N. Y., about fifty years ago, though it is a much
less number of years since it came into general use. Late improvements in
the plow and the harrow, and the invention of cultivators, drills, and other
labor-saving implements, have wonderfully changed the aspect of farming,
and increased the power of production.
In harvesting, the change is not less striking. Before the decay and
removal of stumps permitted the use of the grain cradle, wheat was cut with
86 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
the sickle, now a rare instrument. It was then a staple article of merchan-
dise. In the old day-books and journals of the early merchants, if they
could be found, und|f the names of scores of customers would be seen the
charge, " To i Sickle," followed, in many cases by that other charge, " To i
gallon Whisky," an article deemed by some as necessary in the harvesting
operation as the instrument itself. The cradle, which superseded the sickle,
is now fast giving way — in many parts of the country has already entirely
given place — to the reaper, an instrument then no more likely to be invented
than the photographic art, or the means of hourly intercourse with the inhab-
itants of the opposite side of the globe. Fields of wheat of one hundred
to five hundred acres each, are not rare in some of the Western States. Let
a person imagine an attempt to cut these immense fields of grain by hand-
fuls with the sickle, and he cannot fail to appreciate the invention of the
reaper.
Grain was generally threshed by the early settlers with a flail, ten to twenty
bushels a day. There were no fanning-mills to separate the grain from the
chaff. For many years the mill-peddlers did not venture so far west as
Chautauqua. Grain was cleaned with a fan. Neither the instrument nor
the operation is easily described ; nor was it probably ever nmch used here.
Another method was nearly as follows : A riddle [a very coarse sieve] about
30 inches in diameter and 5 or 6 inches deep, was filled with wheat in the
chaff. To " raise the wind," a linen sheet, perhaps taken from the bed, was
held at the corners by two men, who gave it a semi-rotary motion, or sudden
swing. Another man holding up and shaking the riddle with its contents,
the chaff was blown from the falling wheat. About ten bushels were thus
cleaned in half a day. When at length farmers had the means of buying
mills, and the roads admitted of their transportation, fanning-^mills were
introduced. A large portion of this county was early supplied with mills of
an exceMent quality, by one of its present worthy and distinguished citizens,
the Hon. George W. Patterson, of Westfiekl. But this once common and
useful article has been superseded by machines propelled by horse-power or
by steam. A single machine now receives the sheaves and delivers the
cleaned grain at the rate of from one hundred to two hundred bushels a day.
A reaper is in use in some of the Western states, which carries two binders,
who drop along its track the cut grain in sheaves bound.
In hay harvesting, also, improvements would seem to have attained perfec-
tion. A lad of sufficient age to drive a team can mow from fifty to one
hundred acres in an ordinary haying season ; and the hay may all be raked
during the same season by one person.
While, by the invention of the cultivator and other implements, the power
and facility of producing corn has been greatly increased, there has not yet
appeared, nor is there likely to appear, any invention that will materially
facilitate the process of harvesting it. The husking of corn was 'generally
done in the field, as at present. In those portions of the country settled by
the Dutch, the ears, when fully ripe, were broken from the stalk, thrown into
EARLY COOKING. 8/
heaps, and then hauled into the barn, and thrown into a long heap across
the barn floor, ready for a corn-husking, in which the neighbors, old and
young, were invited to participate on some evening. The anticipation of a
" good time ' secured a general attendance. A good supper, which several
of the neighboring women had assisted in preparing, was served at eight or
nine o'clock. The " old folks " would then leave, and in due time the boys
would gallant the girls to their homes. The recreation aflforded to the young
people on the yearly recurrence of these festive occasions was as highly
enjoyed, and quite as innocent, as most of the amusements of the present
boasted age of refinement.
Early Cooking.
To witness the several processes of cooking in pioneer times, would alike
surprise and amuse those who have grown up since cook-stoves came into
■use. The first thing likely to attract notice would be the wide fire-place
already described. Kettles were hung over the fire to a stout pole, some-
times called lug pole, the ends of which were fastened into the sides of the
chimney at such height as not to be likely to ignite from the heat or sparks.
The kettles were suspended on trammels, which were pieces of iron rods
with a hook at each end. The uppermost one reached nearly down to the
fire, and with one or more shorter ones, the kettle was brought to the proper
height above the fire. For the want of iron, wooden hooks were sometimes
used for trammels. Being directly above the kettles, they were safe from fire.
The long handled frying pan was a common cooking utensil. It was held
over the fire by hand ; or, to save time, the end of the handle was sometimes
laid on the back of a chair, the pan resting on the fire, while the cook was
"setting the table." The pan was also used for baking short cakes. It was
placed in a nearly perpendicular position before the fire, leaning slightly
backward, with coals under or back of it to bake the under side. A more
convenient article was the cast iron, three legged, short handled spider which
was set over coals on the hearth for frying meat. Its legs were of such
length and so adjusted, that, when used for baking cakes or bread, being
turned up towards the fire, to the proper slope, handle upwards, it would
keep its position. An early mode of baking com bread, (cast iron ware
being scarce,) was to put the dough on a smooth board, about 2 feet long
and 8 inches wide, placed on the hearth in a slanting position before the fire.
When the upper side was baked, the bread was turned over for baking the
other side. When lard was plenty, the bread was shortened, and called
johnny-cake. But a better article for baking bread than either the pan or
spider, was the cast iron bake-kettle, in some places called " Dutch oven,''
with legs and a closely fitted cover. Standing on the hearth with coals under
and over it, bread and biscuit were nicely baked. Bread for large families
was usually baked in large out-door ovens built of brick or fire-proof stones.
Turkeys and spare-ribs were roasted before the fire, suspended by a string,
a dish or pan being placed underneath to catch the drippings.
88 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Some of the inconveniences of cooking in these open fire-places will be
readily imagined. Women's hair was singed, their hands were blistered,
and their dresses, scorched. But framed houses with jamb fire-places
measurably relieved the pioneer house-wives. In one of the jambs was fixed
an iron crane, which could be drawn forward when ketdes were to be put
on or taken off. But the invention of cook-stoves commenced a new era
in cookery ; and none, most averse to innovation, have intimated a desire to
return to the " old way," which will hereafter be known only in history.
Fare of the Early Settlers.
Among the many hardships of pioneer life, not the least is the diflnculty
in procuring bread. For at least two years the settler in the woods must
obtain his family supplies chiefly from other sources than his own land. This
difficulty is enhanced by the remoteness of his residence from older settle-
ments, where his supplies are to be obtained. Hence, those who settled in
this county within the first few years, had a severer experience than those who
came after a surplus of grain was produced, and mills for grinding it were
built in the earlier settlements.
The first settlement in the county where grain was produced, was com-
menced at Westfield in 1802. The settlers there had to go to Erie, a distance
of more than thirty miles, for provisions, as we learn from the fact that
Edward McHenry, on his way thither for that purpose, lost his life by the
upsetting of his boat on Lake Erie. In the Memoir of Zattu Gushing, by
O. W. Johnson, Esq., we are informed that the first settlers at Canadaway,
[now Fredonia,] went to Niagara Falls and to Canada to get their grain
ground. When intending to cross Lake Erie, they started when the lake
was likely to be calm. Three men were required to row the boat. On one
occasion Judge Gushing and his companions were wrecked on the Ganada
shore, losing their boat and grain. As they were absent ten days, their
families gave them up for lost.
John Eason settled at Fredonia in 1804. All the money he had on his
arrival was ten dollars, which he paid for a barrel of flour procured from
Canada, across Lake Erie. Upon this, together with fish and wild game, he
chiefly relied for sustenance until he could raise vegetables, which were his
principal means of support during the first year. Whole families, for many
days, tasted not a morsel of bread, subsisting upon game and other products
of the forest. Leeks, with which the woods abounded, furnished, to some
extent, food for man and beast. The leaves, which were in some regions
far advanced before the disappearance of the winter snows, furnished for
cattle a valuable pasture ground ; and the bulbs, later in the season, were, in
times of scarcity, used by settlers as a substitute for common articles of
food. There are probably still living on the Purchase persons who have
eaten many a meal, consisting in great part, of cooked leeks.
Before there were mills within a convenient distance, families lived for
weeks on hulled wheat, and on meal from corn pounded out at home. For this
HOUSEHOLD MANUFACTURES. 89
purpose, one end of a large block was scooped out, making a cavity holding
half a bushel or less of corn. A spring pole was fixed over the rafters, or to
something else of proper height. On the end of the pole- a wooden pestle
was suspended by a rope. It will readily be imagined that- the principal use
of flie pole was to assist in raising the pestle ; and that a small quantity of
grain was pounded at a time. The pestle was not in all cases hung to a pole,
but was sometimes used wholly with the hands of the operator. Probably
hominy-Mocks, or hominy-mills, as they were called, will never again appear in
any part of our country. A " corn cracker " of this kind was attached to
the saw-mill built by David Dickinson, an early settler at Silver Creek.
Household Manufactures.
Nearly all the clothing of the early settlers was made from cloth of home
manufacture. Long after the country had passed its pioneer state, the farmer's
house continued to be a linen and woolen factory. Where more spinning
was to be done than the wife could do in addition to her ordinary house-work,
or where the daughters were too young to help, spinsters were employed to
come into families to spin flax in the winter season, and wool in the summer.
The price usually paid these itinerant spinsters was a shilling a day, the day's
work ending at early bed time. Some will be surprised when told that many
of these women had money to show at the year's end. It was the custom,
to some extent, to count a certain number of " runs " as a day's work. This
had a tendency to accelerate the motion of the wheel, and lessen the hours
of labor. These small earnings would not go far toward clothing Chautauqua
farmers' daughters of the present generation.
The spinning exercise is one which the young women of modern times
have never enjoyed. The wheel used for spinning flax was called the "little
wheel," to distinguish it from the " big wheel," used for spinning wool. These
" stringed instruments " furnished the principal music of the family, and were
operated by our mothers and grandmothers with great skill, attained without
expense, and by far less practice, than is necessary for our modern dames to
acquire a skillful use of their elegant and costly instruments. They were
indispensable household articles, and were to be found in nearly every family.
The loom was not less necessary than the wheel. There were some houses,
however, in which there was none. But there were always some, who,
besides doing their own weaving, did some for others.
Woolen cloth was made in families. There being at first no carding
machines, wool was carded and made into short rolls with hand cards. These
rolls were spun on the " big wheel," which is still to be seen in the houses of
some old settlers, being occasionally used for spinning and twisting stocking
yam. It was turned with one hand, and with such velocity as to give it
sufficient momentum to enable the nimble mother, by her backward step, to
draw out and twist a thread of nearly the length of the cabin. The same
loom was used for both linen and woolen. A .cloth was sometimes made
called linsey, or linsey-woolsey, the warp being linen and the filling woolen.
go HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Woolen for men's outer garments was generally sent to the fuller and
cloth-dresser to be finished, if fulling-mills and cloth-dressing establishments
were within a convenient distance. Woolen flannel was also made and worn
by the mothers and daughters. Flannel for women's wear, after dye-stuffs
were to be had, were dyed such color as the wearer fancied. It was softie-
times a plaid made of yarn of various colors, home-dyed. To improve their
appearance, these flannels were sent to a cloth-dressing shop for a slight
dressing, which was finished by a powerful pressing between large sheets of
smooth pasteboard, to give them a glossy surface.
Much dyeing, too, was done in the family. Dye-woods and dye-stuffs
formed no small portion of a merchant's stock. Barrels of chipped Nicara-
gua, log-wood, and other woods, k«gs of madder, alum, copperas, vitriol,
indigo, etc., constituted a large part of teamsters' loading for the merchants.
Many remember the old dye-tub standing in the chimney corner, covered
with a board, and used also as a seat for children when chairs were wanted
for visitors, or when new supplies of furniture failed to keep pace with the
increase of the family. Mr. Goodrich, [Peter Parley,] describing early life
in his native town in Connecticut, speaks of this " institution of the dye-
tub," as having, " when the night had waned and the family had retired,
frequently become the anxious seat of tne lover, who was permitted to carry
on his courtship, the object of his addresses sitting demurely in the opposite
comer.'' We have no authority for saying that it was ever used here on such
occasions.
Nearly all the cloth wj)rn was " home-made." Rarely was a farmer or his
son seen in any other. If, occasionally, a young man appeared in a suit of
"boughten cloth," he was an object of envy to his rustic associates. Few,
except merchants, lawyers, doctors, and some village mechanics, wore cloth
that had not passed through the hands of the country cloth-dresser. Hence,
the early merchants kept small stocks of broadcloth. Cloths of the finer
qualities they sometimes bought in small pieces containing a certain number
of full patterns — one, two, or three — to avoid loss on remnants.
There were also itinerant tailoresses, who came into families to make up
men's and boys' winter clothing. The cutting was mostly done by the
village tailor, if a village was near. " Bad fits," which were jiot uncommon,
were generally charged to the cutter. Hence the custom of tailors, when
advertising, " Cutting done on short notice, and warranted to fit," to append
the very prudent proviso, "if properly made up." These seamstresses
charged for their work two shillings a day. This was thought by some a
little exorbitant, as the usual price of help at housework was but six shil-
lings a week, Sundays not excepted.
Boots and shoes also were made in many families. Farmers got the hides
of their slaughtered cattle tanned "on shares;'' or, if their share was judged
insufficient to shoe a whole family, the tanning and dressing were otherwise
paid for. Then there was in the neighborhood a circulating shoemaker, who
made his yearly autumnal circuit with his " kit." The children had a happy
STORES AND TRADE. 91
time during his sojourn, which lasted one, two, or more weeks, according to
the number of feet to be shod. The boys who had doffed their old shoes
when the winter snows had scarcely disappeared, to enjoy the luxury of
going barefoot, were now no less joyful in the anticipation of new ones to
protect their feet from the frosts or early snows.
Large boys and girls, when leather was scarce and dear, have been knc^Wn
to go barefoot the greater part of the year. And it was not a rare thing to
see girls as well as boys, not of the poorer families, at the age of twelve, at
Sunday meetings, with feet unshod. Some made shoes for themselves and
their families. Boots were little worn, even by men, except in the winter
season. Men's boots and shoes were usually made of coarse leather, called
cowhide. Occasionally a young man attained tlie enviable distinction of
appearing in a pair of calf-skin boots, made by a skillful workman. Boots
and shoes for both feet were made on one last. In those days " rights and
lefts " were unknown. In this department of dress as in others, in respect
to style and cost, the past and the present exhibit a remarkable contrast.
We only add, a general revolution in household labor has taken place
within the last fifty years. The substitution of cotton for flax, and of the
various kinds of labor-saving machinery for hand-cards and spinning-wheels
and looms, has vastly lightened the labor of women. One of the results of
these improvements is the opportunity they afford for mental and intellectual
culture. That the mass of American women duly improve these opportuni-
ties, will hardly be affirmed.
Stores and Trade.
A great inconvenience incident to pioneer life, is the want of the many
articles essential to the comfort of a family, which the farm cannot supply.
Therefore, no immigrant is more welcome in a new settlement than the first
merchant. Fortunately, there are seldom wanting those who are ready to
establish a store when and where there is a population sufficient to sustain
one. Some of the early stores were kept in log buildings. The first stocks
of goods were not large ; yet they comprised most of those articles which
were needed by the settlers.
But the gratification of some at the advent of the early merchant, was
greatly moderated by their inability to purchase his wares. The inhabitants
generally were poor. They had expended nearly all their money in their
removal ; and the little they had left was wanted to buy breadstuffs and other
absolute necessaries. Farmers who had been here long enough to raise a
small surplus, obtained some money from new-comers. But the majority
were not so fortunate.
Goods were dear, being transported at great cost. They were principally
brought from Albany in wagons, a large part of the way over new and very
bad roads. A trip from Buffalo to Albany and back required for its perform-
ance three or four weeks, and sometimes even a longer time. Bet%veen Cat-
taraugus creek and Buffalo, the roads were for a considerable distance almost
92 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
impassable. But the high price of the merchant's goods was but one-half of
the farmer's misfortune. While he had to pay a double price for nearly every
staple article of store goods, he was obliged to sell the products of his farm
at about one-half of their cost in labor. There are yet many living who dis-
tinctly recollect the condition of the country from its early settlement, and
the relative prices of merchandise and the products of the farm. More
accurate information, however, may be obtained from the books of the early
merchants, to which reference will be made.
The books of J. & M. Prendergast, [Jediah and Martin,] early merchants
at Mayville, show the prices of goods from September, 1811, to January,
18 1 5. They were among the earliest merchants in the county. The sur-
rounding country was as yet very sparsely settled ; yet their books show a
considerable trade, to which the Prendergast families were liberal contributors.
The first four sales appear to have been made to four different persons of that
name. The county seat and a land office having been established there,
Mayville was a convenient place of trade to many in remote parts of the
county.
On a glance at the pages of these old books, our modern clerks would
find, in the keeping of accounts, something of which they have no practical
knowledge. The old mode of reckoning was by pounds, shillings and pence.
And to most adults it is known that, until a comparatively late period, the
prices of goods per yard or pound, both in buying and selling, at wholesale
and retail, were given in shillings and pence. Merchants generally marked
their goods in this currency, and so charged them to their customers ; but
the aggregate cost of the number of yards or pounds of the article sold, was
"carried out" in dollars and cents. But in the books. alluded to, the aggre-
gate cost of the number of yards or pounds sold was also carried out in
pounds, shillings and pence, and set down in three separate columns. The
footing of a bill of many articles would, at the bottom of the columns, be
^S 7s. pd. — 8 pounds, 7 shillings and 9 pence. Happily, this clumsy method
of reckoning and Ijeeping accounts has been superseded by the decimal
method — by dollars, cents and mills.
The prices of some articles, in shillings and pence, are here given : Wool
cards, 8s. a pair; spider net, 7s. 6d. a yard ; loaf sugar, 3s. a pound; calico,
3s. 4d. a yard; hyson tea, r4S. a pound; pins, zs. 6d. a paper; powder, 8s.
a pound; shot, 2S.; unbleached cotton, 2s. 7d. a yard. Farmers found it no
easy matter to pay for iron is. 3d. a pound ; steel, 2s. ; nails, is. yd. to 2S.
6d. ; paper, 3s. a quire ; skin tea, los. a pound ; nutmegs, is. each. Before
the close of the year, prices began to be affected by the war. In December,
1814, flannels were 8s. to 9s. 6d. a yard; cambric muslin, i8s.; book muslin,
i6s. ; factory cotton, 5s. a yard; satinet, 27s. 6d. ; nails, 2s. to 2s. 6d. ;
Swedes steel, 4s. a pound ; maccoboy snuff, 8s. a pound ; coffee, 5s. ; pow-
der, i2s. ; skin tea, 20s. ; imperial tea, 26s. ; cotton yam, 9s. ; cotton stock-
ings, 13s. a pair.
If medical services rose to a point corresponding to the prices of the
STORES AND TRADE. 93
drugs and medicines used by the physicians, their patients would have had
no less cause to complain of onerous " doctors' bills " than they who are
now so unfortunate as to need such services. One of this mercantile firm
[Jediah] being himself a physician, we find a charge : " To call and puke,
2 oz. val. sylv., and caskarel, and epispastic," in all, ;£i 4s. Jacob Rush
was charged 6 oz. laudanum, 4s. oz., and 2 pukes, 2s. each, — j£i 8s. Dr.
Alexander Mclntyre, who, being a physician, might be expected to buy
medicines at a discount from ordinary retail prices, was charged as early as
181 2, for glauber salts, 3s. 6d. lb. ; bark, 32s. ; camomile flowers, 3s. 6d. oz. ;
gum Arabic, is. 6d. oz. ; opodeldoc, to ordinary customers, 5s. Whisky,
that staple article in those days, kept pace with other goods till it reached
i2s. to 14s. a gallon. But the books indicate no perceptible decrease in its
consumption.
The day-book of Douglass & Houghton, merchants at Cattaraugus, in
July, 18 1 2, exhibits prices as follows : Hyson skin tea, i6s. ; bohea tea, 8s. ;
calico, 6s. 6d. yd.; white flannel, los. ; tow cloth, 4s.; salt, 20s. bushel;
paper, 4s. qr. ; ginger, 6s. lb.; whisky, 12s. a gallon. Their store was, in
December, 18 12, removed to Fredonia, where we see nails charged at 2s. 6d.
lb. ; spelling books, 3s. a copy; Harmony cloth at 68s. [$8.50] a yard. Pins
were charged 4s. a paper; stockings, i6s. 6d. a pair. Broadcloth is charged,
May 22, 1813, to James Hale, by order of Elijah Risley, 80s. [$io] per
yard; and cassimere, 36s. yd ! These far exceed the war prices of 1861-65.
But our surprise at these prices will be less when we consider the cost of
transportation. Charles Hill and Thomas Hill returned from Albany, Sept.
12, 18 14, with loads of merchandise for J. & M. Prendergast, Mayville; the
former having brought 1635 lbs, the latter 1800 lbs., for which they were
allowed $6 per 100 lbs. Their expenses appear to have been $40 each; and
the time spent in making the trip must have been about four weeks.
In 18 1 9, freight from New York to Buffalo was $3.50 per 100 lbs. ; from
Buffalo to Fredonia, $1.50 — total, $5 per hundred, or $ioo per ton. With
the products of their farms at the prices they bore a few years later,
farmers could hardly have paid for store goods at the prices charged. Prices
of farm products had not reached the lowest point. They continued to de-
cline until they were scarcely sufficient to pay transportation to the nearest
cash market. Nor did farmers find permanent relief until after the comple-
tion of the Erie canal, and until adequate encouragement had been secured
to American manufactures.
J. & M. Prendergast established in November, 1813, a branch store in
EUicott, where Jamestown now stands. A part of the first day-book having
been torn from its cover, the earUest date that appears is Sept. 20, 1814;
and the business there was continued until March, 1816. The prices appear
to have varied but slightly from those at Mayville. In the whisky trade we
judge that, in the price and quantity sold, the Jamestown store surpassed
that of Mayville. In July, 1815, we count, on five successive pages, 69
separate and distinct charges for this article ; the least number on any one
94 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
page being 12 ; on two of them, 15 each. During a considerable part of
the war time, flour stood at $12 a barrel. On the Jamestown day-book,
John Burgess is charged, Jan. 6, 1815, with 2 bbls. flour, at $19 bbl. ; and
Israel Knight previously credited by 2 bbls. flour, (probably the samp flour,)
at $18.65 bbl. Wm. Forbes is charged Jan., 1816, for hollow castings, 10
cts. lb. ; cheese 2s. ; salt, $12 bbl. Salt rose suddenly from $7 to $12 and
$15 ; and in November, 1814, Solomon Shepard stands credited bX the May-
ville store, by 2 bbls. salt at $22 per barrel !
Considering the low prices of farm produce, and the difficulty of con-
verting it into cash, we can hardly imagine how either the settlers could buy
the merchants' goods, or how the merchants could sell enough to keep up
their establishments. Immigration having nearly ceased, the market formerly
furnished by new-comers no longer existed. Grain bore prices merely nomi-
nal. Wheat, at times, could not be sold at the farmer's barn for more in
cash than the cost of transportation to the nearest cash market. Cases are
known in which loads of com have been taken to Dunkirk, twenty miles,
over woods roads, and sold for 12^ cents a bushel to realize the money to
pay taxes — the round trip taking two days. Wheat was taken to the same
market and sold for 37^ cents. Maple sugar, at 4, 5, or 6 cents a pound,
was exchanged for goods; butter at 6 to 8 cents; oats, lo to 12 cents;
other kind of grain in about the same proportion. Dressed pork sold for
about 2 OT 2)4 cents a pound. No wonder that, with hard labor and rigid
economy, the settlers were slow in paying for their lands. Indeed, it would
seem almost impossible, under such adverse circumstances, to avoid extreme
suffering. Yet the various kinds of business were more or less successfully
pursued. How this was done, will appear from the nature of trade, which
will be the subject of succeeding pages.
Ashes were for many years the most important article of trade, being
almost the only one which could be readily turned into cash. For some
purposes money must be had. Certain articles or merchandise could not be
got in exchange for grain, or on credit. Taxes could not be paid in kind ;
and to raise " tax-money," farmers were sometimes obliged to sell grain and
other products of their farms for prices which scarcely paid for their trans-
portation to market. Ashes afforded material relief Many a settler who
had a large surplus of grain which he was unwilling to sell at the ruinously
low prices offered, cut and burned timber for the ashes from which to get
money to pay taxes and for other necessary uses. These ashes, and those
from burned log heaps, were sometimes drawn several miles over rough roads,
and exchanged for goods, or at a reduced price for cash, if cash must be had.
The price was 5, 6, or 8 cents, according to quality, as ashes from old and
partially decayed timber, or having an admixture of the soil, which was some-
times scraped up with them, were of little value. Hence it is seen that an
ashery was a necessary appendage to a store in a new settlement. The lye
of the ashes was boiled down to a proper consistency and red heat, resembling
molten iron in a furnace, and dipped into smaller kettles holding several
STORES AND TRADE. • 95
pailfuls, and left to cool, when it was emptied out of the kettle in a single
lump, solid as a stone. It was then broken and put into strong barrels, ready
for transportation to market.
But raw ashes not admitting of transportation a great distance, it was
necessary to concentrate their virtue into smaller bulk. The lye was boiled
down to the consistence of thick mortar, and was called black salts, being of
a dark color, and converted into pearl ashes. Hence the necessity of a pearl
ashery also. The salts were thrown into a large brick oven, 6 or 8 feet in
diameter, and baked, or rather burned, being brought almost to a red heat.
When cool, the color had been changed to a pearly white. Always com-
manding cash in every market, merchants having pearl asheries would readily
pay cash for black salts. Pot and pearl ashes, containing great value in
small weight and bulk, would bear transportation to the most distant markets.
They were generally sent to New York and Montreal, and thence a large
portion of them was shipped across the Atlantic.
Before there were stores and pearl asheries in the southern and south-
western towns of the county, black salts were principally bought by the mer-
chants in the lake shore towns. Many had no wagons on which to carry
them ; nor did the roads admit of their being carried on wagons all the way
from the back settlements. A more simple vehicle was used. From a small
tree was taken a piece having at one end two prongs. The single end was
put into the ring of the ox-yoke, the other resting on the ground. Acros.s
the prongs the trough containing the salts was placed, and kept from sliding
backward by a long wooden pin set perpendicularly in each prong. On car-
riages of this description were many tons of this valuable product of the
forest yearly conveyed to market. Sometimes the oxen were simply hitched
by a chain to the fore end of the trough containing the salts, the bottom of
which had been flattened, and the end hewed away from the under side to
fit it, like a sled runner, for sliding over the rough ground.
To facihtate the collection of debts, merchants, after cattle had become
plenty, sometimes received cattle in payment from their customers, and drove
them to eastern markets, or sold them to drovers from the East. Cattle were
then cheap. A pair of good working oxen could be bought for about $50 ;
steers, three years old, for $15 a head; two years old, for about $10. Pork
also was taken on account at prices which contrast strikingly with the present.
Well fatted pork, dressed, was sold for $2, or $2.50, per 100 pounds.
Of the quantity and value of the products of the forest timber, a pretty
correct idea may be formed from the following statements of the manufacture
of pot and pearl ashes by a few of the merchants of this county. The most
minute and accurate statement from any source is that of Albert H. Camp,
Forestville, prefaced thus .
" Statement of pearl and pot ashes sent to Montreal and New York
markets, or sold at Buffalo, by Albert H. Camp on his own account, or on
account of the finns of which he was a partner at Forestville, Chautauqua
county, N. Y., from May i, 1820, to Sept. i, 1850."
96 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
The number of barrels sold from 1820 to 1836, inclusive, was 2830. The
price per cwt. of ii2lbs. varied from $4.25 to $8, averaging about $6. These
appear to have been all, or nearly all, pearls. The timber having princi-
pally disappeared, the statement shows the annual sales to have decreased
from 289 barrels, the greatest quantity sold in any year, to 40 barrels, in
1836. During this period the price paid for black salts, from which pearls
are made, was from $2 to $3.50 per cwt. of ii2lbs. From 1837 to 1850,
inclusive, the amount was 648 barrels, nearly all pots made of house ashes,
for which 12^ cents per bushel were paid, if delivered, or to cents, if hauled
by the merchants themselves. With the year 1850, the business ceased.
George T. Camp, brother of Albert H. Camp, was a merchant for several
years at Mayville, before he moved his business to Westfield. While at the
former place, he paid in a single week $1200 for black salts; and for some
time averaged $800 to $1000 a week. The price was between $2 and $3
per hundred. This was about the years 1829 and 1830. From the fact
that there were at that time many asheries in the county, we have some idea
of the amount of money paid to settlers for the products of their otherwise
valueless timber.
Alvin Plumb, an early merchant in Jamestown, and afterward at Mayville,
furnishes the following statement :
" Before the completion of the Erie canal, Montreal was the market for
ashes, which, with lumber from the south-eastern towns, constituted nearly all
the products of exportation from the county. I was engaged in the manu-
facture of pearl ashes at Jamestown for several years, from 1824, and at
Mayville from 1825. The quantity produced at the former place in the best
years of the trade was some 50 tons, and at the latter place about 100 tons.
I also bought largely from other merchants in that trade, in the years 1825
and 1826. The quantity manufactured and purchased at these places was
about 500 tons, the most of which was sent from Barcelona Harbor."
Daniel Williams, now and for many years a resident of Ashville, states
that, at an early period of the settlement of the county, [1819,] he com-
menced manufacturing pot and pearl ashes, at Westfield, where he worked
at the business for four or five years, for Alvin Williams and Budlong & Bab-
cock. During the first three years there was made about r ton per week —
or about 156 tons in three years. The best salts averaged in price about
$2.50 per cwt. of ii2lbs. The price of the pearl ashes in the eastern cities
was from $5 to $7 per cwt. During the last two years he worked in West-
field, there were made about 2 tons per week — about 200 tons in the two
years in both asheries. On his removal to Ashville — the place being so
named from the extensive manufacture of ashes in that section of the county
— there were three asheries there, which were run for several years, and at
which were made from 100 to 150 tons a year. The salts bought at the
latter part of this period cost $2.50 to $3 per cwt. Many, unable to sell the
products of their farms for cash, were obliged to cut down and bum green
timber, and make salts of lye, which alone could be sold for money.
Walter Smith, more extensively engaged in the manufacture and the
NATURE OF TRADE. 97
purchase and sale of ashes than any other merchant in the county, has fur-
nished the following :
" The sales of our pot and pearl ashes, during the six years' trade in Fre-
donia, varied in different years, both in quantity and price. The smallest
amount sold was $20,000 ; the largest, $45,000. These pot and pearl ashes
were shipped to Montreal for market until the Erie canal was finished.
They were taken by vessel to Black Rock ; by open boat to Schlosser ; by
ox-teams to Lewiston ; by vessel to Cape Vincent ; thence by batteaux down
the St. Lawrence to Montreal. John R. Coney had an ashery in Portland ;
Brockway in Ripley ; Alvin Williams in Westfield, and afterwards at Ash-
ville, where he continued business ; Guy Webster in Hanover ; and
in Perrysburgh, Cattaraugus county. All these bought goods of me,
and sold me their pot and pearl ashes, or had me send them to Montreal ;
and I accounted to them for the net proceeds, and paid them the balance
due them in money. Harriot & McGunnigle, of Mayville, were large manu-
facturers ; also Wm. Holbrook,. Holbrook & Camp, and Camp & Colville,
at Forestville. I think three-fourths of all the ashes from Chautauqua county
were shipped by me the first six years. After that, the manufacture dimin-
ished rapidly."
Although this product of the forest always commanded cash, or could be
turned into cash, its 'price, like the prices of other articles, was affected by
the law of supply and demand. Hence, the producers were not always
adequately compensated ; and the manufacturers and dealers, who were
generally merchants, were sometimes subjected to heavy losses. Such,
especially, was the case in 1823. The Erie canal being not yet finished, the
ashes from this part of the state were chiefly sent to the Montreal market.
The Fredonia Censor, of July 30, announces "bad news for dealers in ashes,''
and states, that accounts from Montreal were so discouraging, that dealers
almost despaired of obtaining fair prices. Pots were down to $128 per ton ;
pearls about the same price. The price of black salts, which had been in
the spring $4 per cwt., had fallen to $2.25. The high prices in the English
market had induced the merchants to engage deeply in this business, some
of whom had, by this sudden depression, become heavy losers. It was stated
upon good authority, that more ashes were manufactured in this county than
in any other along the shores of Lake Erie ; and that the high price given
for black salts had been the means of clearing much new land, as the price
of that article had amply paid for clearing.
Nature of Trade.
From what has been said in preceding pages, the reader will readily infer
that trade was greatly restricted by the scarcity of the usual circulating
medium. Few goods were sold for cash. Business was done on the credit
and barter system, not only by and with merchants, but between the people.
Notes were made payable in grain, lumber, cattle and other commodities,
and sometimes contained the stipulation, " at cash price." Almost every
country product, as well as some store goods, had a cash and a barter or a
credit price. It was, however, not always easy to ascertain the cash price.
. 7
98 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Merchants often suffered great loss by this system of trade. Notwithstand-
ing the high percentage charged as profits on their goods, losses by bad
debts, and losses on grain and other commodities, which it was almost impos-
sible to sell for cash, rendered the mercantile business an unsafe one.
Most of the business of the county was for many years done in the
northern or lake towns, which were first settled, and possessed superior com-
mercial advantages. Maple sugar, long an important article of trade, came
in large quantities from the southern towns. The inhabitants generally sup-
plying themselves, the price is said to have been at times as low as four or
five cents a pound. Brown sugars from the South were rarely seen in the
early country stores. Almost the only sugar brought from New York was
the white refined sugar, put up in hard, tall, solid loaves of a conical form,
and called "loaf" or " lump sugar," and was wrapped in strong and coarse
paper. It was sold chiefly for sweetening medicines and the liquors of tavern-
keepers, who bought it in large quantities.
Division of Business.
The early stores presented, in sundsy particulars, a striking contrast to
those of the present day. As the population increased, a greater number
and variety of articles were kept in the stores. After printing ofiices were
established within a convenient distance, the merchants advertised their
stocks in the papers and in posters, in flaming display letters, enumerating
the various kinds of goods kept for sale; as "dry goods, groceries, crockery
and glassware, hardware, dye woods and dye stuffs, iron and nails, paints,
oil, window glass, school books and stationery, rum, brandy, gin and whisky;"
to which was sometimes added, drugs and medicines, ending with a string of
et ceteras, or " with other articles too numerous to mention."
The natural result of the increase of population and trade, is the division
of business. For a long time, in a newly settled country, merchants keep
goods of all kinds likely to be wanted by their customers. Silks and iron,
laces and fish, pins and crow-bars, pork and molasses, tea and tar, cotton
yam and log chains, were all to be had at the same store. In process of
time, stores were established for the sale of but one, or a very few kinds of
goods, as hardware stores, drug stores, bookstores, etc. Where the first of
these stores was commenced, has not been ascertained ; but we find Dr.
Hazeltine informing his friends, through a Jamestown paper, as early as
August, 1826, that he had "just received from New York a small, but general
assortment of drugs and medicines." About a year and a half later, Dr. E.
T. Foote announces the receipt, at his " Apothecary Store," a general assort-
ment of not drugs and medicines only, but of " Patent medicines, oils,
paints, dye-stuffs, surgical instruments," those articles which compose the
stock of a modem dmg store. Russell D. Shaw soon follows with the
advertisement of a similar stock with the addition of groceries. And in
1834, N. L. Sears enumerates books and stationery among the articles in his
dmg store.
REFLECTIONS ON PIONEER LIFE. 99
In July, 1831, Adolphus Fletcher, publisher of the Jamestown Journal,
announces the receipt of " a general assortment of books and stationery" in
a room adjoining the yt^ar^za/ printing office. This appears to have been an
establishment for the exclusive sale of those articles which constitute the
stock of a modern bookseller. In reading the list of standard school books
and the various articles of stationery, we are reminded of the almost total
revolution that has taken place, in regard to the books and other articles used.
In a long list of school books advertised, there is not one which has not been
superseded by modern authors. In the line of stationery were wafers, ink-
powder, sand-boxes, letter stamps, round rulers, quills — all of which have
become nearly obsolete. By the invention of gummed envelopes, wafers
have come into disuse in letter writing. Ink-powder is no longer to be
found in the stores. As if by common consent, the people pay from 400 to
800 per cent, more for ink than was done when a "York shilling,'' or, after-
wards, a dime was paid for a paper of Maynard & Noyes' powder, which
made a full pint of the best quality of ink. Sand-boxes have been displaced
by the superior article of blotting paper. Letter stamps have taken their
departure with wafers. But the most valuable change is in the substitution
of metallic for quill pens.
Under date of August 23, 1831, Lakin & Haven gave notice, in a James-
town paper, that they "have opened a hardware store, in the new building
on Second street.'' They occupy the greater part of a column in the enum-
eration of articles " s«t solid," and without a single display line. Although
the list is long enough to do honor to any city house, these articles are said
only to be " among their goods," intimating that the greater portion of them
were not included in the enumeration. Even the smaller villages now have
stores limited to a single branch of trade.
REFLECTIONS ON PIONEER LIFE.
The history of pioneer life generally presents only the. dark side of the
picture. The toils and privations of the early settlers were not a series of
unmitigated sufferings. The addition of each new acre to their " clearings "
brought with it fresh enjoyment, and cheered them on in the pursuit of their
ultimate object, an unincumbered and a happy home. They were happy
also in their fraternal feelings; or, as one expressed it, " the feeling of brother-
hood— the disposition to help one another /' or, in the language of another,
" Society was uncultivated ; yet the people were very (riendly to each other,
quite as much so as relatives are at the present day."
We could now hardly endure the thought of exchanging our comfortable
and splendid carriages for the rude ones of our fathers and grandfathers,
which served the various purposes of visiting, and of going to mill and to
meeting ; yet who doubts that families had a " good time " when they made
100 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
a visit to a ." neighbor " at a distance of several miles, through the woods, on
an ox-sled ? Our mothers were clad in homespun of their own make ; and
not a few remember the " glad surprise," when fathers, on their return from
market, presented their faithful help-meets with a six yards calico dress
pattern for Sunday wear. And it is presumed the wearer was in quite as
devotional a frame of mind, and enjoyed Sabbath exercises quite as well, as
she who now flaunts her gorgeously trimmed silk of fifteen or twenty yards,
made up in a style transforming the wearer into " the likeness '' of something
never before seen or known "above," or "on the earth beneath," and altered
with every change of moon.
People were happy in their families. The boys, having labored hard dur-
ing the day, sought rest an early hour. Parents had the pleasure of seeing
their sons acquiring habits of industry and frugality — a sure prognostic of
success in life. The "higher civilization" had not yet introduced —
" In every country village, where
Ten chimney smokes perfume the air,"
those popular modem institutions, the saloon and the billiard-room, in which
so many youth now receive their principal training. Fewer parents spent
sleepless nights in anxious thought about their " prodigal sons," or had their
slumbers broken by the noisy entrance of these sons on returning from their
midnight revels. They saw no clouds rising to dim the prospect of a happy
future to their children. Never were wives and mothers more cheerful than
when, like the virtuous woman described by Solomon, " they laid their
hands to the spindle, and their hands held the distaff;" or when, with their
knitting work or sewing, and baby, too, they went — unbidden, as the custom
was — to spend an afternoon with their "neighbor women," by whom they
were received with a hearty, unceremonious welcome. The " latch-string
was out " at all times ; and even the formality of knocking was, by the more
intimate neighbors, dispensed with. ,
Nor did they lack topics of conversation at these visits. Prominent
among them were their domestic affairs — their manifold industrial enter-
prises and labors — and the anticipated reward of their privations and toils.
Their conversation, some may suppose, evinced no high degree of intellect-
ual culture ; yet, as an indication of such culture, surely it would not suffer
in comparison with the gossip of many of our modem educated ladies at their
social gatherings.
The following extract from a letter, from the pen of a pioneer mother in
another county, and published in 3, county paper, may he read with interest
by some :
" The country around us was an entire wildemess, with here and there a
small cabin, containing a small family. We were nearly all new beginners ;
and although we had to work almost day and night, we were not discouraged.
There were many and serious trials in the beginning of this country, with those
who settled amid the heavy timber, having nothing to depend upon for a
living but their own industry. Such was our situation. However, we were
REFLECTIONS ON PIONEER LIFE. lOI
blest with health and strength, and were able to accomplish all that was nec-
essary to be done. Our husbands cleared the ground, and assisted each
other in rolling the logs. We often went with them on these occasions, to
assist in the way of cooking for the hands.
"We had first-rate times, just such as hard-laboring men and women can
appreciate. We were not what would now be called fashionable cooks ; we
had no pound cakes, preserves, or jellies ; but the substantial, prepared in
plain, old-fashioned style. This is one reason why we were blessed with health :
we had none of your dainties, knick-knacks, and ' fixings ' that are worse
than nothing. There are many diseases that we had never, even heard of
thirty or forty years ago, such as dyspepsia, neuralgia, and many others too
tedious to mention. It was not fashionable then to be weakly. We could
take our spinning-wheels and walk two miles to a spinning frolic, do our
da/s work, and after a first-rate supper, join in some, innocent amusement for
the evening. We did not take particular pains to keep our hands white; we
knew they were made to use for our advantage; therefore, we never thought
of having hands just to look at. Each settler had to go and assist his neigh-
bors ten or fifteen days, in order to get help in return in log-rolling time ;
this was the only way to get assistance.
" I have thought proper to mention these matters, that people now may
know what the first settlers had to undergo. We, however, did not complain
half as much as people do now. Our diet was plain; our clothing we manu-
factured ourselves ; we lived independent, and were all on an equality. I
look back on those by-gone days with great interest. How the scene has
changed ! Children of these same pioneers know nothing of hardship ; they
are spoiled by indulgence, and are generally planning ways and means to live
without work."
It is, indeed, to many who have been brought up in the "lap of ease,'' not
a little surprising, that a wife and mother should do the, house-work of a
family in which were six, eight, or more children, and occasionally some
hired men, without hired help. Yet such instances were not uncommon.
The reader of family sketches in a succeeding part of this history, will not
fail to notice the contrast between the pioneer settlers and their descendants
in another T^zx'ixc.vXzx— fecundity. The former, with comparatively few excep-
tions, fulfilled the duty enjoined upon the original progenitors of the race, to
"multiply and replenish the earth;" an injunction which the present genera-
tion seem to think more "honored in the breach than in the observance."
At the present rate of the increase of our native population, who can tell the
number of generations necessary' to "replenish" our vast national territory?
In writing out genealogical sketches of pioneer families, which, in not a few
instances, show a product, if not of " thirty," at least of ten to fifteen fold,
we have oftpn been reminded of what we read more than half a century ago,
in the history of some eastern country, where it was a part of the marriage
ceremony to sprinkle upon the head of the bride a handful of hops, and to
accompany the act with the expression of a wish that she might be "as fruitful
as the hop vine." As to the cause of this modem degeneracy, we forbear to
express an opinion. To those who desire light on this subject, we commend
Rev. Dr. John Todd's little book, entitled " A Serpent in the Dove's Nest."
I02 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
EDUCATION— EARLY SCHOOLS.
Though struggling under the pressure of privation and poverty, the settlers
made early provision for the education of their children. So important an
object they would not defer until they could build more comely and con-
venient school-houses ; they were content, for a time, with such as corre-
sponded to their rude dwellings. The first school-houses were built of
logs, with fire-qjlaces and chimneys like those of log dwelling-houses, and
were roofed in the same manner. . Many still remember those houses, in
which they received their limited education — the ill-chinked walls, the large
open fire-place filled with a huge pile of logs, in the vain attempt to make a
comfortable place for study.
Benches were made of split slabs, hewed, and raised so high as to keep
the scholars' feet swinging several inches above the floor. After there were
saw-mills, benches were made of sawed slabs. The writing-desk was a slab
or board extending along the whole length of one of the walls, fastened on
long pins driven into auger holes in the logs, and slanting downward from
the wall. Above the writing-table, holes for windows were cut through the
wall, and filled with four or six lighted window sashes. For the want of sash
and glass, the window openings were temporarily covered with old papers,
greased with lard, for window-lights.
Schools were not then regulated by law. Persons could not be compelled
to pay for building school-houses and for the services of teachers. These were
done voluntarily by the persons interested. They mutually agreed to contrib-
ute labor or money toward the building of a school-house — chiefly labor, as
little money was needed to build a log-house. Teachers were paid by those
only who sent children to school. A subscription paper, stating the price of
tuition per scholar for the term proposed, was circulated, and each person
affixed to his name the number of scholars he would send. If a sufficient
number were obtained, the school would commence. Teachers were some-
times, wholly or in part, paid in produce, many of their employers being
unable to pay in money. To such it was an object to employ teachers having
families to consume the products of the farm.
The course of instruction embraced but the few more primary branches.
Spelling, reading, writing, and common arithmetic, constituted for several
years the entire course. The school books used were Webster's Spelling
Book, one or two reading books, and an arithmetic. A grammar, a geogra-
phy or an atlas, the scholars had never seen. But many teachets were not
qualified to teach even these few branches successfully. Only the simpler
parts of arithmetic were taught by most teachers, especially in the summer
term. The mathematical ambition of many pupils was satisfied when they
could " cypher" to the end of the " Single Rule of Three," which, in that
old popular work, " DaboU's Arithmetic," then in general use, preceded
" Fractions," as it did in other old arithmetics. Nor did some parents think
EARLY SCHOOLS. IO3
a higher attainment in this branch necessary for their sons, unless it were the
knowledge of computing interest, which some of them might, at some time
in their lives, have occasion to practice. Even after the enactment of the
school laws requiring the examination of teachers, and a certificate from a
board of inspectors pronouncing them " well qualified to teach a common
school," most of them were very deficient in the " learning and ability" in-
tended to be secured by the law. A knowledge of grammar was for many
years not insisted on by the inspectors, and for the reason that, if it had
been, there would not have been a sufficient number of teachers to supply
all the schools. And so in respect to geography and other branches now
considered indispensable.
The manner of teaching and conducting a school was also defective. Writ-
ing, in many schools, was not required to be done at any fixed hour, nor by
all at the same time. Children could not make their own pens — none but
goose-quill pens being used — nor, indeed, were teachers generally competent
to do it properly. These pens needed to be frequently mended. To make
and mend the pens and "set copies" for ten or twenty pupils, took no small
portion of a teacher's time, and was often done during reading and other
exercises, in which the worst mistakes escaped the observation of the teacher.
To avoid this, some teachers did this work before or after school hours.
The introduction of the metallic pen and the printed copy-book is a valua-
ble improvement, saving much of the teacher's time, and furnishing the
pupils with good and uniform copies.
The black-board had not been invented ; or, if it had been, it was unknown
in rural districts. Scholars were not taught arithmetic in classes. They got
the attention of the teacher as they could. Voices from all quarters, asking
for help " to do this sum," for permission to " go out," to " go and drink,"
and to "go to the fire,'' questions which, in many schools, were, to use a
parliamentary phrase, " always in order ;" and the teacher going about the
room to "help" scholars at their seats; all these, and other things that
might be mentioned, kept the school-room in a continual bustle. Not all
schools, however, were thus conducted. In many of them order and good
management prevailed ; and many of our most intelligent citizens and most
practical and successful business men, were graduated at these institutions.
A citizen of the town of Stockton gives the following description of the
school-house and school in which he " learned his ABC, and graduated in
Webster's Spelling Book as far as ' Crucifix :'"
" This school-house was about 20 by 24, and about 7 feet between the
floors. A large Dutch fire-place was in the north end. There were thiee
nine-lighted windows of the smallest pattern ; desks or writing tables against
the walls, and pine slab seats with wooden legs. The furniture consisted of
a plain cross-legged table, a splint-bottom chair, and a pine log about two
feet in diameter and one foot high, called a 'dunce block,' and a pair of
leather spectacles. It is presumable that the last two articles were con-
tributed by the teacher, and hence omitted when not thought necessary for
the good of the school.
I04 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
" A word of explanation may be necessary to show the use of the dunce
block and the leather spectacles, as these appliances have become nearly or
quite obsolete. The scholar who failed to get his lesson perfectly, was pretty
sure to mount the block with the spectacles across his nose ; and as odd and
droll as he looked, with his eyes through the leather belt, no one would dare
to laugh, for fear of taking the same place, with perhaps an additional
' switching ' about the back, by those ominous looking beechep whips care-
fully stored in a crack in the floor overhead. Young men and women
fi-equently mounted this dreadful block, who were too tall to stand erect,
because their heads would come in contact with the ceiling above. This
would occasionally bring a suppressed titter from the other scholars ; but a
blow with the great whip in the hand of the teacher would restore gravity,
and make us all feel thankful that it was the table, and not our backs, that
received the beating."
There were, however, some good schools then ; and there are many poor
ones still ; yet a comparison of the schools of the present time with those of
fifty years ago, shows a vast improvement. Perhaps the most salutary pro-
vision in the school laws of our country, is that which brings the advantages of
a sound and practical education within the reach of all classes of its citizens.
Prior to the year 1813 or 181 4, little provision was made by the state for
the education of its children. The poorest people had to pay wholly for the
tuition of their children, or keep them out of school. This misfortune was
in part remedied by providing a school fund, which consisted of lands and
other property of the state, the income of which was annually distributed
amongst the school districts to be applied to the payment of teachers' wages.
The first money thus distributed in this county was in the year 1814. This
fund was many years afterward largely increased on this wise: In 1836,
Congress passed an act authorizing the distribution, among the states, of
many millions of dollars which had accrued from imposts and sales of public
lands. Propositions for distribution had been several times defeated on the
ground of its supposed unconstitutionality. To avoid this objection, it was
proposed that, instead of giving this money to the states, it should be " de-
posited with " the states, until the general government should call for it. It
was to be deposited in four annual installments ; three of which had been
deposited, when, in 1838, it being supposed that the government would have
occasion to use a part of the money, an act was passed to postpone the pay-
ment of the fourth installment. About $28,000,000 had been deposited
with the states. The quota of the state of New York was about $3,500,000.
No portion of the sum deposited has ever been called for; nor was it supposed
by many that it ever would be.
\-n 1838, by an act of our state legislature, the income of the United States
deposit fund, as this money was called, was to be appropriated " to the
purposes of education." For three years, $55,000 was to be expended
annually for the purchase of district libraries. The remainder was principally
paid toward the teachers' wages. If the public moneys were insufficient for
this purpose, the deficiency was supplied by a rate bill.
By the first school law, a sum was to be raised by a tax on the inhabitants
RELIGIOUS HISTORY. I05
of every town equal to the sum received from the state funds ; in default of
which, their claim to the public money was forfeited ; and by a vote at town-
meeting, double the amount might be raised in the town. The districts were
also required to have a school kept at least four months, [now six months,]
to entitle them to a share of the public money.
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
The establishment of the institutions of religion in the new settlements
of this county, is a prominent feature in its history. Reared under the
influence of these institutions, and imbued with the sentiment declared by
the founders of our republic, that " true religion and good morals are the
only solid foundations of public liberty," the settlers, like the " Pilgrim
Fathers,'' planted churches at the earliest practicable period.
The people of Western New York, as well as those of the new states
generally, were chiefly supplied by the missionary societies of New England
and other religious organizations. The tide of emigration to the West was
followed up by missionaries, carrying the gospel of peace to the destitute
pioneer settlements, enduring, with the people, for the Master's sake, the
hardships and sacrifices incident to such a condition of the country. There
is probably not a town in this county whose early inhabitants were not
indebted to these self-denying laborers for the religious instruction of their
families. We say self-denying ; because the pittance they received for their
services — their toilsome travels, their coarse fare, and the manifold discom-
forts they experienced in rude, unfurnished dwellings — forbids the idea that
they were actuated by mere mercenary motives. Some of them possessed
talents which, if employed in other pursuits, would have elevated them to
distinction and affluence. And it can scarcely be doubted that the health-
ful influence of their " preaching in the wilderness" did not cease with the
generation to which they ministered.
Perhaps no other minister labored so early and so long in the missionary
service in this county as the Rev. John Spencer, familiarly known as " Father
Spencer." He had been a deacon in the Congregational church in Worces-
ter, Otsego county ; and with only such learning as an ordinary school edu-
cation and his own reading and observation afforded, he entered the ministry.
He was employed as a missionary on the Holland Purchase by the Connec-
ticut Missionary Society ; and his labors were highly useful in forming and
sustaining churches. He preached in the new settlements when his congre-
gations consisted of but two or three families, and sometimes, it is said,
of but one; thus literally "preaching from house to house."
All, or nearly all, the churches formed by Mr. Spencer were ctenomina-
tionally Congregational. Most of them, however, have long since adopted
the Presbyterian form of government, and formed connection with* Presby-
teries. Of his labors, a citizen of this county writes :
I06 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
" Hardly was the first log cabin reared in the wilderness, before it was
visited by that early missionary, the Rev. John Spencer, to cheer and encour-
age the pioneer in his struggle with the formidable difficulties that surrounded
him. Mr. Spencer's life in the forest was an active and a toilsome one ; he
understood the duties of his calling well, and faithfully he performed them.
There are many anecdotes still extant illustrating the clearness of his intellect
and cheerfulness of his disposition."
Another writes of him as follows:
"From 1810 to 1820, or later. Rev. John Spencer, a CongregationaHst,
was the pioneer minister. Priest Spencer, as he was called, entered all parts
of the county where could be assembled three or more families, and preached
nearly every evening. His dress was ancient — knee and shoe buckles —
short breeches and long stockings — a dress which at that period attracted
attention, as it had nearly passed out of date. Independence in thought,
word and deed, was characteristic. ' He was remarkable for the sharp twinkle
of his eye, which always preceded some witty reproof. His sermons were
short, practical, and impressive. His manner of delivery was singular : com-
mencing short sentences, he would speak the first words slow and very dis-
tinct, and hasten to the close, accenting strongly the last words. Especially
was this the case in his prayers. Children noticed the set formula with which
he closed every petition."
Several interesting anecdotes are related of Mr. Spencer ; but the disagree-
ment between the relators in some of the particulars, renders it probable that
they are largely based on tradition. He closed his useful life in this county,
and was buried in Sheridan.
In 1 808, the Presbyterian General Assembly appointed Rev. John Linds-
ley a missionary for four months, two of them to be spent in Steuben and
Tioga counties, and the remaining two months in the settlements of the Hol-
land Purchase. Although he was here probably as early as Mr. Spencer, his
labors do not appear to have continued beyond the term of his appointment.
The principal record of his labors that we have seen, is that of his having
officiated at the formation of the Presbyterian church at Westfield in 1808,
and at the formation of a Congregational, now the Presbyterian, church of
Warsaw, July 14, 1808. It is said, however, that he visited Westfield as a
missionary in the fall of 1807, and was then sustained by a Female Mission-
ary Society. He was on his way to Pennsylvania ; and on his return in the
spring, formed the Westfield church as above stated. It has been stated, and
probably truly, that he returned and went over his former missionary ground,
and spent three sabbaths in Westfield.
Rev. Phineas Camp,, a graduate of Union College in 1810, and a graduate
of the second class of the Theological Seminary at Princeton, was appointed
by the Presbyterian General Assembly's Board of Missions as a home mis-
sionary in Pennsylvania, Western New York and Ohio. He assisted in the
reorganiza'tion of the church in Westfield, in November, 1817, and was
installed as pastor of the church by the Erie Presbytery, Sept. 8, 1819.
Bene*ts, doubtless, accrued both to Congregationalists and Presbyterians,
from a " Plan of Union " then existing. Their system of religious belief was
RELIGIOUS HISTORY. 107
substantially the same. They were divided only on the plan of church gov-
ernment. As it was generally difficult, in new settlements, for either to
support a separate and distinct organization, the Presbyterian General Assem-
bly, in 1 80 1, adopted a plan which permitted Congregational ministers to
become pastors of Presbyterian churches, and Congregational churches to be
represented in Presb)rterian ecclesiastical bodies. On the formation of
churches, the majority probably determined the mode of church government.
Rev. Asa Turner, a Baptist preacher, was also an early missionary in
this county, and is represented to have been " very ' popular among the
settlers, and warmly welcomed among them." Rev. Joy Handy, too, was
an early laborer in this missionary field, though he soon became pastor of
the Baptist church at Jredonia. As a rflissionary and pastor he made
"full proof of his ministry," and closed his useful life after a long and
faithful service of the Master.
Several of the early Baptist churches in the county were formed by these
and other early ministers. The first was at Fredonia, the preparatory work
having been done by that devoted layman. Judge Gushing. The records of
the church show that its organization was completed by its being received
into fellowship by a council, October 20, 1808.
The Methodists, too, \vith their usual promptitude, sent their preachers
into the western wilderness. Their missionaries are their circuit preachers,
who appear to have made their advent in this country about the year 1808.
In Gregg's " History of Methodism within the bounds of the Erie Annual
Conference," we find the following :
"From 1796 to 1812, Western New York was nominally within the bounds
of the Philadelphia Conference, though most of the time entirely unoccu-
pied. In 1808, a circuit was formed by that conference called the ' Holland
Purchase,' which embraced all of the state of New York west of the Gene-
see river, to which the Rev. George Lane was appointed. Sometime in the
winter of 1808-9, learning that a few members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church had settled a short distance east of the present village of Fredonia,
in the west part of Sheridan, Chautauqua county, Mr. Lane started up
from Buffalo in a one-horse sleigh to visit and preach to them. On his way
up he overtook Mr. Gould and wife in a two-horse sleigh, who were members
of the Methodist church, and resided in the place just mentioned, and who
had been East on a visit, and were returning home. The snow was deep
and badly drifted. Night came on them while in the woods some distance
below the Cattaraugus creek ; and they became so buried in the snow, that
they could get their sleighs no further. After disengaging their horses from
their sleighs, each person mounted a horse, and rode on the bare back to
Mack's tavern, where they spent the remainder of the night. Next morning
they succeeded in getting their sleighs, and before night reached Mr. Gould's
house, where Mr. Lane spent a few days and preached several times, and,
during his stay in the place, formed a class consisting of Stephen Bush, Dan-
iel G. Gould and wife, and Elijah Risley. This was undoubtedly the first
Methodist preaching and the first class formed in Chautauqua county, which
has, since that time, been a very fruitful field for Methodism, and very pro-
ductive of Methodist ministers."
I08 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
As early aS 1801, the Erie circuit existed, which embraced the first religious
organizations of the Methodists in this county, and for a long time afterwards
the whole or a considerable part of the county. It was in the Pittsburgh
district, which was within the bounds of the Baltimore Conference. The
presiding elder of the district was Thornton Fleming ; and the preacher of
the Erie circuit was James Quinn. It is said that Mr. Quinn's circuit, when
formed, contained twenty appointments, requiring him to travel four hundred
miles every four weeks. The first class he formed was near a place called
Lexington, in Springfield township, Erie county. Pa. In 1804 the district
took the name of Monongahela, and Thornton Fleming was continued pre-
siding elder until the meeting of the Baltimore Conference in May, 18 10,
when Jacob Gruber was appointed presiding elder, and Joshua Monroe,
preacher of Erie circuit ; and the year following, James Watts and James
Ewing.
Gospel Land.
It is generally known by the older inhabitants, that the Holland Land
Company made a donation of 100 acres of land to religious societies in
every town, usually designated as the " gospel land." This was no part of
the early policy of the Company. The manner in which this land was
obtained, is related by Mr. Turner in his History of the Holland Purchase.
In the fall of 1820, Paul Busti, the general agent of the Company at
Philadelphia, while on a visit at Batavia, was importuned by a Presbyterian
minister from a neighboring town for a donation of land to every society of
that persuasion then formed on the Holland Purchase. Mr. Busti was for
a long time indisposed to grant the request. But the Rev. gentleman having
urged his suit until the agent's patience was exhausted, the latter firmly
replied: "Yes, Mr. R., I will give a tract of one hundred acres to a religious
society in every town on the Purchase ; and this is finis.'' He was, however,
unwilling to give preference to any particular denomination. " But," said
he, " to save contention, I will give it to the first society in every town."
Mr. R., it is said, lost no time in communicating the information to the
Presbyterians in the towns in his vicinity. Mr. Turner proceeds as follows :
" The land office was soon flooded with petitions for land from societies
organized according to law, and empowered to hold real estate, and from
those that were not, one of which was presented to Mr. Busti before he left,
directed to ' Gen. Poll Busti,' on which he insisted that it could not be from a
religious society ; for all religious societies read their Bibles, and know that
Po double /, does not spell Paul." Amid this chaos of applications, it was
thought unadvisable to be precipitant in granting these donations, the whole
responsibility now resting on Mr. EUicott to comply with the vague promise
of Mr. Busti. Therefore conveyances of the 'gospel land' were not executed
for some space of time, notwithstanding the clamor of petitions for ' deeds
of our land ;' during which time the matter was taken into consideration
and systematized, so far as such an operation could be. Pains were taken
to ascertain the merits of each application, and finally a tract or tracts of
land, not exceeding one hundred acres in all, were granted, free of expense.
ORGANIZATION OF CHAtfTAUQUA COUNTY. IO9
•
to one or more religious societies regularly organized according to law in
every town on the Purchase, where the company had land undisposed of,
which embraced every town then organized, except B^hany, Genesee county,
and Sheldon, Wyoming county ; the donees being in all cases allowed to
select out of the unsold farming land in the town. In some towns it was all
given to one society ; in others, to two or three societies, separately ; and in
a few towns to four societies of different sects, twenty-five acres to each."
And it is said that the proceedings were so judiciously managed by Mr.
Ellicott, that partiality was in no case charged against the agent or his
assistants.
ORGANIZATION OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
A BRIEF sketch of the division of this state into counties, of their organi-
zation, and of changes in their boundaries, prior to the formation of Chau-
tauqua county, will not be deemed incompatible with the character and
design of this work. From the introduction to a history of Oneida County,
N. Y., a valuable and reliable work, written by Judge Pomeroy Jones, of that
county, and published many years ago, the following is an extract :
"The Dutch originally settled and governed the territory within the limits
of the state of New York, and by them it was called New Netherlands. As
late as 1683, that portion of it lying west of Fort Orange, [Albany,] was
termed by the Dutch chroniclers ' Terra Incognito,' or Unknown Land. In
1683, the colony having passed into the hands of the English, it was divided
into twelve counties, viz. ; New York, Albany, Dutchess, Kings, Queens,
Orange, Ulster, Richmond, Suffolk, Westchester, Dukes, and Cornwall.
Albany county then included Albany and all west of it. In T768 and 1770,
the counties of Cumberland and Gloucester were added. Of the original
counties, Dukes and Cornwall, after a bitter controversy, were suspended to
Massachusetts in 1693 ; and a part of Gloucester and Cumberland was, after
a quarrel, ceded to New Hampshire, and now forms a part of Vermont ; and
and the portion of the two counties retained was formed into a county called
Charlotte, now Washington county. In 1772, the county of Tryon was
formed from Albany county, lying westwardly of a line running nearly north
and south through the present county of Schoharie. The name of Tryon
having become highly obnoxious from the active hostility and acts of wanton
cruelty of the Colonial Governor Tryon towards the Americans during the
Revolution, the legislature, in 1784, changed the name to Montgomery, in
honor of the general of that name who had fallen at Quebec."
Montgomery county was divided into five districts. German Flats, one of
the districts, included the present town of Herkimer and all the territory
west of it in this state, and was an entire wilderness, with the exception of
forts and Indian trading points and a few Dutch settlers along the Mohawk
river. In 1786, the entire county of Montgomery, embracing over one-half
of the state of New York, contained but 15,050 inhabitants, about one-fourth
of the number now in Chautauqua county. In 1788, the town of Whites
TowTi, [thus written,] was erected from German Flats, and named in honor
no HISTORY OF CRAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
•
of Judge Hugh White, who had recently emigrated from Middletown, Ct.,
to the present site of the village of Whitesboro', then including the present
city of Utica, and all of the state west of it, and probably did not contain
over 200 inhabitants. The late Judge Jonas* Piatt, of the supreme court,
was an early supervisor of the town.
On the 27th of January, 1788, the county of Ontario was erected from
Montgomery, and the preamble of the act read as follows : " Whereas the
county of Montgomery is so extensive as to be inconvenient to those who
now or may hereafter settle in the western part of the county, therefore,"
etc. The county of Ontario included all of the state west of a line drawn
due north from the 82d mile stone on the line between the states of New
York and Pennsylvania, through Seneca lake, to Lake Ontario. By the
last cited act, all of the state west of the Genesee river was erected into the
town of Northampton. The counties of Herkimer, Otsego, and Tioga, were
erected from Montgomery in 1801.
On the 30th of March, 1802, the county of Genesee was formed from the
county of Ontario, and bounded on the east by the Genesee river and the
county of Steuben. Or, according to another description, it comprised all
that part of the state lying west of the Genesee river and a line extending
due south from the point of the junction of that river and the Canescraga
creek, to the south line of the state.
Genesee county was divided into four towns : Northampton, Southampton,
Leicester, and Batavia. The first three embraced all the territory within the
county lying east of the Holland Purchase, and Batavia the whole of the
Purchase. Northampton adjoined Lake Ontario ; Southampton adjoined
Northampton on the south, and Leicester embraced all the territory south of
Southampton to the Pennsylvania hne. The first board of supervisors of
Genesee county was composed of Simon King, representing Northampton ;
Christopher Layboum, Southampton; John H. Jones, Leicester; and Peter
Vandeventer, the town of Batavia. The first town meeting in Batavia, of
which the present county of Chautauqua formed a part, was held at Van-
deventer's inn, within the limits of the present town of Clarence, Erie
county.
The town of Chautauqua, formed from Batavia, April 11, 1804, embraced
the present county, excepting only the loth range of townships, which was
annexed to Chautauqua in the formation of the county. At the same time
[1804] there were formed from Batavia the towns of Willink and Erie, the
latter, now called Newstead, comprising, it is believed, but a single town-
ship ; the two comprising all the territory l)ang within the present counties of
Niagara and Erie.
Allegany county was taken from Genesee in 1806; Cattaraugus, Chautau-
qua, and Niagara, in 1808 ; [the present county of Erie being then included
in Niagara;] parts of Livingston and Monroe, in 182 1 ; a part of Orleans,
in 1824; and Wyoming, in 1841. The town of Batavia, formed in 1802, has
alone become the mother of four whole counties, [Chautauqua, Cattaraugus,
ORGANIZATION OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY. Ill
«
>fiagara, and Erie,] one-half of Allegany, and the greater parts of Orleans
and Wyoming.
In 1805 or 1806, the subject of erecting two or more counties from Gene-
see and Ontario, along the Genesee valley, was agitated by settlers along the
river. Judge Foote furnishes some interesting facts relating to the division
of Genesee county, which were published in the Jamestown Journal, of
October 7, 1859. He says :
" I have understood that the Hon. Philip Church, now of Allegany county,
the Messrs. Wadsworth, of Geneseo, and Messrs. Warner and Hosmer, of
Avon, who were prominent and honored citizens, and men of wealth, and
landholders, formed the plan of the formation of two or more counties from
Ontario and Genesee, in 1806, while Joseph Ellicott, the agent of the Hol-
land Company, strongly opposed the project. Allegany was set off from
Genesee in 1806. But the original question was still unsettled. To many
of the inhabitants of Allegany, its boundaries were not satisfactory ; and
several petitions were presented to the legislature in 1807, in favor of differ-
ent localities for the public buildings in that county; but nothing definite was
done by the legislature until the presentation of petitions in February and
March, 1808, which resulted in laws annexing the west part of Steuben to
Allegany, and the west part of Allegany to Genesee, [to form the east part of
Cattaraugus,] and fixing the county site of Allegany to Angelica. Genesee
county was divided into four counties, Genesee, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua,
and Niagara, the last named then including the present county of Erie.
" One fact appears singular ; in none of the petitions signed by residents
of the present county of Chautauqua, was that name for the county solicited-;
but it was proposed only by the five landholders, none of them residing in or
having any interest in the county. The name was most appropriate, and I
apprehend the people were well satisfied with it. Chautauqua and Cattarau-
gus remain as established over half a century ago ; Allegany nearly as then ;
Niagara, until 1821, when it was divided and Erie county erected; Genesee,
until 1821, when Monroe and Livingston were erected from Genesee and
Ontario."
In 1806, a petition was presented to the legislature for the division of
Genesee into four counties, by the names of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Niagara,
and Genesee ; Niagara and Cattaraugus to be organized by the name of
Niagara in one year from the passing of the act ; and Joseph Ellicott, Eras-
tus Granger, and Jonas Williams, to be appointed commissioners to erect a
court-house and jail in said county. - The petition also asked that the organi-
zation of Allegany and Cattaraugus might be suspended until they should
contain a suitable number of inhabitants. The petitioners further prayed
that the court-house and jail for Niagara should be erected on the eastern-
most public square in the village of New Amsterdam, or Buffalo ; and that
James W. Stevens, Philip Church, and William Rumsey be appointed com-
missioners to fix upon a site for a county town in Allegany; and that Joseph
Ellicott, Erastus Granger, and Alexander Reed fix upon a county site for
Cattaraugus. The petitioners also remonstrated against the granting of a
petition, then in contemplation, for erecting a new county out of the western
part of Ontario and the eastern part of Genesee.
112 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
The question naturally arises, why should the formation of so many new
counties be asked for while their population was insufificient for an immediate
organization ? The reasons assigned in the petition are, that there is much
contention among the inhabitants on the subject of dividing counties, and
that future divisions, when the population becomes considerable, may prove
a source of difficulty to the legislature, and " promote dissensions among
those who may be interested in the establishment of the limits of counties;''
and " that in the present state of population of the county of Genesee, the
bounds of future counties may be so judiciously established and limited in
extent as to obviate the propriety of any future divisions;" and "that the
longer the divisions are delayed, the more these difficulties will increase, and
by a variety of contending interests the more injudiciously will the new
counties be divided."
There are said to have been about 750 signers to this petition, among
whom were the following :
Benj. EUicott, Andrew A. EUicott, James W. Stevens, Joseph Ellicott,
Daniel B. Brown, Reuben Town, Asa McCracken, Trumbull Gary, David E.
Evans, Abraktfm Dull, William Peacock, Josiah Babcock, Richard Smith,
David McGracken, Seth Cole, John D. Weed, Elias Scojuld, Filer Socket,
David Eaton, Louis Lacouteulx, Richard Stiles, Nathan Gary, Benj. Hutchins,
Alanson Weed, William Bennett, Harry Ligerson, Joseph E. Dart, James
Prendergast.
There was no date to this petition, but it was probably presented to the
legislature of 1806, that being the year in which the county of Allegany was
set off. Those whose names are in italics, were then residents of the present
county of Ghautauqua.
March 2, 1808, was presented to the legislature "the petition of the sub-
scribers and landholders of the counties of Genesee and Allegany." They
ask for a division of the part of Genesee county lying between Allegany
county and the western boundary of the state of New York, into two coun-
ties, by the names of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus ; and for authorizing the
governor to appoint commissioners to fix sites for the public buildings of
these two counties ; and for organizing the counties of Niagara, Chautauqua,
and Cattaraugus, together by the name of Niagara, and suspending the
organization of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus until they should contain such
number of inhabitants as should be deemed expedient. This, too, was
without date; but was presented, as stated above, March 2, 1808, signed
by the five following named persons : Mather Warner, George Hosmer,
Jabez Wilbur, James Wadsworth, Philip Church.
Of these gentlemen, Messrs. Warner, Wadsworth and Hosmer, resided in
Ontario county, and Mr. Church in Allegany.
The reasons assigned for this division are in part the same as tho^e offered
in the former petition — to prevent contention and strife among future inhab-
itants as to the proper division of the territory. They also prayed for the
annexation of the three western ranges of townships of Allegany to the
ORGANIZATION OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY. II 3
territory designed to form the counties of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus ; giv-
ing as a reason for this annexation, that, without this additional territory,
there would not be sufficient for two counties. [It has been suspected that
the chief object of changing the boundaries of Allegany was to secure the
establishment of the county seat at Angelica.]
Another petition, presumed also to have been presented in 1808, from
inhabitants of the counties of Steuben, Genesee and Allegany, prayed for the
annexation of the western range of Steuben county to Allegany, and the 3d,
4th and 5th ranges of the Holland Purchase to Genesee, and for dividing
Genesee into four counties : Cattaraugus, extending from Allegany county to
the meridian line between the 9th and loth ranges of townships of the Hol-
land Land Company's survey ; Chautauqua, with its present bounds ; Niag-
ara, including the present counties of Niagara and Erie ; and all the remain-
ing part of Genesee to constitute the fourth county, retaining the original
name of Genesee. The petition also prays for the establishment of the
county seat of Allegany at Angelica ; that of Chautauqua at Mayville ; and
that of Niagara at New Amsterdam, commonly called Buffalo ; and further,
that the contemplated county of Cattaraugus be continued organized with "
Allegany " as far as it respects taxation, courts of justice, voting for governor,
members of the legislature and of congress,'' until the three counties of
Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus, should be organized together as one
county by the name of Niagara. Signed by Asa Ransom, Trumbull Cary,
Peter Powers, Thomas Prendergast, Jonas Williams, William Peacock,
Richard Smith, Asa Spear, Henry Wilson, E. Cary, Emory Blodgett, Andrew
A. EUicott, Benj, EUicott, Joseph EUicott, John Mack, David E. Evans,
James W. Stevens, and others — in all, 56 names.
The act of 1 808 provided that Cattaraugus and Chautauqua should act in
conjunction with Niagara until they should respectively contain 500 taxable
inhabitants. It having been ascertained from the assessment rolls of t8io,
at the meeting of the board of supervisors, that Chautauqua county contained
500 voters for members of assembly, the county was fully organized in 181 1,
by the appointment of county officers on the 9th day of February, 181 1, by
the council of appointment, consisting of the governor and four senators,
one from each "of the four senate districts into which the state was then
divided. This council had the power of appointing all county officers,
including justices of the peace. The governor was then Daniel D. Tomp-
kins, and the four senators were Benjamin Coe, James W. Wilkin, John
McLean, Philetus Swift.
First Judge — Zattu Gushing. Associate Jtidges — Matthew Prendergast,
Philo Orton, Jonathan Thompson, William Alexander.
Assistant Justices — Henry Abell, William Gould, John Dexter, Abiram
Orton.
Justices of the Peace — ^Jeremiah Potter, John Silsbee, Abijah Bennett, Asa
Spear, Justus Hinman, Benjamin Barrett, Daniel Pratt, Selah Pickett.
Clerk — John E. Marshall. Sheriff— \ya.\\dL. Eason. Surrogate — Squire
White. Coroners — Daniel G. Gould, Philo Hopson.
8
114 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
The act of 1808 erecting the counties of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus,
required the governor to appoint three commissioners to fix on county sites
in these counties, and file their decision in the clerk's office of Niagara
county, then at Buffalo. Deeds of land also were to be recorded there until
after the complete organization of this county, which took place in 1811.
The commissioners appointed to locate the county sites, were Isaac Suther-
land, Jonas Williams, and Asa Ransom. The act also required the super-
visors of each county to raise the sum of one thousand five hundred dollars
for erecting and completing a court-house and jail. A contract was accord-
ingly made with Winsor Brigham to build a court-house and jail of wood.
And the house of John Scott, in the village of Mayville, was designated as
the place for holding courts until the court-house should be completed.
The first court-house in the county was a two-story frame building, built
between i8ii and 1815, the war having retarded its completion. The June
term of the court in 1814 was held in the unfinished building, but not the
fall and winter terms. In 181 5 the building was finished and occupied. The
lower story contained three prison cells — two for criminals and one for
-debtors. In firont of these, and divided from them by a narrow hall, was the
dwelling part for the jailor and his family. The upper story was for court
and jury rooms, etc.
In 1832, the prison rooms being deemed too contracted, and having
become dilapidated and unsafe for the detention of prisoners, the legislature
required the supervisors to provide for the erection of a new jail. They had
been authorized the preceding year to do so ; but, notwithstanding it had
been presented by the grand jury as a nuisance, they refiised to provide for
building another. Hence the necessity, next year, of a law requiring them
to do so ; and even then the appropriation was made by a majority pi two
only. The sum first appropriated by the law of 1832, was $3,500, in three
annual installments, the last of which would become due in 1834, when the
supervisors were required to raise $1,500 more for its completion.
In 1834, on the petition of many citizens, an act wasipassed directing the
building of a new court-house. It is not strange that county buildings
costing but $1,500, were, after a lapse of more than twenty, years, insufficient
for the various county purposes. The commissioners appointoi by the act
to contract for and superintend the erection of the court-hoiise;^i|tee Thomas
B. Campbell, Wm. Peacock, and Martin Prendergast Tlie supervisors
were required to assess and collect therefor $5,000 in five annual installments
commencing in 1837. This time was fixed in order to allow the jail install-
ments to be fully paid before additional taxes were imposed. The money
for building was loaned toAe county by the state, at 6 per cent, interest, the
first installment to be paid the ist of March, 1838.
The commissioners contracted with Benj. Rathbun, of Buffalo, for erecting
the exterior of the building. The work was done the same summer, and was
accepted by the commissioners. The plan was submitted to the board of
supervisors in 1834, and a committee was appointed, with instructions to
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ORGANIZATION OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY. 115
report to the board at the next meeting. At an adjourned session held the
next month, [Dec, 1834,] the committee reported resolutions, declaring that
all the money borrowed had been expended on the exterior of the building ;
disapproving the acts of the commissioners as tending to burden the county
with a heavy expense for a larger and more costly building than was needed,
with the purpose of advancing the interests of Mayville at the expense of
the county ; and asking the legislature to remove Wm. Peacock and Martin
Prendergast, and appoint Elial T. Foote and Leverett Barker as commis-
sioners in their stead. The report was accepted.
The action of the next legislature upon the subject was the passage of a
law requiring the raising of an additional sum of $4,000 to complete the
building, in four annual installments, beginning with the year 1837 ; and
authorizing the comptroller to loan it as before. And instead of removing
the two commissioners, Elial T. Foote, of Ellicott, and Leverett Barker, of
Pomfret, were appointed additional commissioners. With this appropriation
the building was completed, and the five commissioners were discharged.
Divisions of Chautauqua County.
This county, at the time of its formation in 1808, embraced but the single
town of Chautuaqua. The town of Pomfret was at the same time formed
from the town of Chautauqua, and embraced the two eastern ranges of town-
ships, [10 and II,] and the present towns of Pomfret and Dunkirk. There
was no further subdivision until after the complete organization of the county
in i8n.
In 18 1 2, Ellicott was formed from Pomfret, and embraced townships i and 2
in ranges 10 and 11. Gerry was formed from Pomfret, and embraced the
present towns of Gerry, Ellington, Cherry Creek, and Charlotte ; and Han-
over, embracing the present towns of Hanover, Villenova, and a part of
Sheridan.
In 18 13, Portland was formed from Chautauqua, and comprised the pres-
ent towns of Portland, Westfield, and Ripley.
In 18 16, Harmony was formed from Chautauqua, and comprised town-
ships I, in ranges 12 and 13, and all of townships 2, in the same ranges,
lying south and west of Chautauqua lake.
In 18 1 7, Ripley was formed from Portland, extending from Chautauqua
creek to the state line.
In 182 1, Clymer was formed, comprising ihe present towns of Clymer,
Sherman, Mina, and French Creek. Stockton was formed from Chautauqua,
and comprised township 4, range 12, and a tier of lots from township 4,
range 13. EUery was formed from Chautauqui, comprising township 3,
range 1 2, all of township 2 lying north of the lake, and a few lots on the
west from township 3, range 13. In 1850, 12 lots from EUery were annexed
to Stockton.
In 1823, Busti was formed from Ellicott and Harmony, comprising parts
of townships i, in ranges 11 and 12. Villenova was taken from Hanover,
Il6 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
comprising township 5, range 10, and a part of the present town of
Arkwright.
In 1824, Ellington was formed from Gerry, and comprised townships 3
and 4, in range 10 ; and Mina from Clymer, comprising the present towns of
Mina and Sherman.
In 1825, Carroll was formed from EUicott, and comprised township i,
range 10, and part of township i, range iij now Kiantone.
In 1827, Sheridan was formed from Pomfret and Hanover, and comprises
township 6 of range 11, except 4 lots in the south-east corner, which remain
attached to Hanover.
In 1829, Arkwright was formed from Pomfret and Villenova. A part of
Pomfret was annexed in 1830. Charlotte was taken from Gerry, comprising
towiiship 4, range 1 2 ; Cherry Creek from Ellington ; French Creek from
Cl3Tiier ; and Westfield from Portland and Ripley.
In 1832, Poland was formed from EUicott, and lies on the east border of
the county, and comprises township 2, range 10. Sherman was formed the
same year from Mina, township 2, range 14.
In 1853, Kiantone was formed from Carroll.
In 1859, Dunkirk was formed from Pomfret.
EARLY ROADS.
Old Portage Road.
That a portage road was constructed between Lake Erie and the head
of Chautauqua lake, prior to the settlement of this county, has been generally
conceded ; but when or by whom it was opened has, until a comparatively
late period, been an unsettled question. The route of this road is described
in the following letter from Col. Wm. Bell, of the town of Westfield, to Judge
Foote :
"Westfield, March 29, 187 1.
" Hon. Elial T. Foote : In answer to your letter inquiring about the
route of the old French road from Lake Erie to Chautauqua lake, I will say,
that I came to what is now Westfield, in August, 1802. My father, Arthur
Bell, came from Pennsylvania, with a part of the family in ' dug-out canoes,'
up the Allegany and Connewango rivers, and the Chautauqua outlet and lake,
to the present steamboat landing at Mayville, while I came through the woods
from the Allegany river to Erie, and thence to Westfield, with some cattle
and horses. And when the family arrived at the head of the lake, I went
there to meet them ; and t^e goods were ' packed ' over to the farm that my
father had taken up when he was here in the spring, on the ' main road,'
about three miles west of Westfield village.
" In 1802, there were the remains of a stone chimney standing near the
shore of Lake Erie, a little west of the mouth of Chautauqua creek, that was
said to have been built by the French. A road was cut out from that point
on Lake Erie, crossing the present Erie road near the old ' McHeiuy tavern,'
EARLY ROADS. II7
where the historical monument now stands, and crossing the west branch of
Chautauqua creek about 100 rods above where the woolen factory of Lester
Stone now stands, and from there to a point near the former residence of
Gervis Foot, or late residence of Mrs. Rumsey, and from there to Chautauqua
lake, on or near the line of the present traveled road.
" I remember very well, when I was quite a young lad, of driving a team
to draw salt over this old French road from Lake Erie to Chautauqua lake ;
and from the appearance of the road, it must have been cut out a good many
years before I passed over it.
" My father settled on part of lot 3, township 4, range 14, of the Holland
Land Company's survey; and after the death of my father, I resided on the
same farm till within the last few years.
" Respectfully yours, William Bell."
The question as to the time when and by whom the road was constructed,
appears to have been satisfactorily answered by Judge Foote, through the
Fredonia Censor. His letter is dated February 10, 187 r. He first notices
the traditionary statement that in 1782 an army of 300 British and 500
Indians, with 12 pieces of artillery, spent the months of June and July
around Chautauqua lake, preparatory to floating down the Connewango and
Allegany rivers to attack Fort Pitt. And it was stated that " the British left
a four-pounder on the shores of Chautauqua lake, from 1782 to 1784."
These statements were founded on tradition, said to be from a copy of a letter
from Gen. Irvine to Gen. Washington. In reference to this the Judge says :
" I have searched the libraries of historical societies in vain for proof of
a British army having 'been encamped about Chautauqua lake. It was only
eighteen years from the time the British army is said to have encamped on
the lake to the commencement of the settlement of the county, and less
than that when the lake shores were traversed by the surveyors ; but I have
never been able to find any one who had seen any evidence of such an
encampment on that lake."
On the subject of the portage road, he says :
" We have, however, I think, reliable information relative to the opening
of a portage road from the mouth of Chautauqua creek, on Lake Erie, to
the head of Chautauqua lake, about 118 years ago, by the French. The
evidence is derived from an affidavit made by Stephen Coffin, an American
who was taken prisoner by the French and Indians, and finally enlisted in
the French army, and was with the army when the portage road was opened.
I will give a brief of the affidavit taken before Sir William Johnson, in
January, 1754. There is corroborative testimony of the material facts de-
veloped in the affidavit." [The substance of this affidavit has "been given
in Mr. Exison's Historical Sketch, p. 38.]
Road from Pennsylvania to Chautauqua Lake.
The first road from Pennsylvania to Chautauqua lake, at what was after-
wards called " Miles' Landing," was opened at a very early date. One of the
party who performed the labor was Robert Miles, who certified to the follow-
ing description :
" The road commenced at my father's in the present town of Sugar Grove,
Il8 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Qcar where Frederick Miles now lives, and passed a little east of where the
senior Devereaux first settled in Busti, and over the hills, and near where
Josiah Palmeter lives, and also near where Samuel Griffith settled ; and
crossed the present Jamestown and Mayville road, on the west side of the
lake, a little west of where sheriflf Judson Southland now resides, and came
to the lake at the mouth of the little creek on the lake shore at Uriah Bent-
ley's. The road was used for many years for the people of Pennsylvania to
go to Chautauqua lake, and for the first settlers on the lake to go to Penn-
sylvania for provisions, etc. The Mileses made a large canoe on the hill
westerly of where Devereaux settled, out of a pine tree, and drew it over the
road to Chautauqua lake ; and the hill where the canoe was made was called
by the early settlers "canoe tree hill." The road was opened about 1805.
There were a few settlers in Warren county. Pa., before there were any in
Chautauqua county ; and the early settlers about Chautauqua lake not unfre-
quently went to Pennsylvania for seed potatoes, oats, wheat, etc., and for
cows, hogs, etc., when commencing in the woods. My father helped build
the first log house at Mayville, near the present steamboat landing, (before
Mclntyre came there,) for a man by the name of Sherman. Robt. Miles, Sr.,
died in 1810, aged S7) near the present village of Sugar Grove, on the farm
now owned by my brother Frederick. Robert Miles."
Mayville and Cattaraugus Road.
In 1813, the Holland Land Company made a survey of a road from May-
ville easterly to Ischua, Cattaraugus county, a distance of 60 miles, and cut
out, bridged, and made it passable to Love's, one mile south of Sinclairville.
From that place to its eastern terminus, the country was an entire forest, with
the exception of the opening at Bentley's on the Connewango.
In May, 1814, Capt. Anson Leet, Henry Walker, Bela Todd, Dexter
Barnes, Henry Barnhart, Oliver Cleland, Nathan Cleland, and a few others,
most or all from what is now Stockton, were employed by the Company to
construct the remaining part of the road. Capt. Leet, eminently qualified
for the task, was chief command, and John West was chief cook. A good
movable tent and utensils, and all necessary fixtures for encamping, were
provided. Several yoke of oxen were used by them in removing heavy fallen
timber and building bridges, etc. ; and three cows with their calves were
taken to aid the boarding department. The calves were tied by straps to
small trees ; and herdmen know that, unless compelled, cows wUl not go far
from their youtig ; hence they were useful in keeping all their cattle within
hearing of the bells strapped on the necks of some of the oxen. . The cows
would not generally go within reach of their calves when fastened closely to
the trees ; and the calves seldom received more than their prop)er share of
food ; but if opportunity presented, they would, Jike some of our late con-
gressmen, appropriate to themselves a luscious supply of " back pay."
Pasturage at that season of the year was abundant : nature covered the
ground with beautiful foliage, of which only the early settlers have proper
conceptions. From the length of the road and the time taken to do it, they
could only remove the fallen trees, cut away the bushes and small timber,
and grade the knolls. There were many streams to be bridged, marshes
EARLY MAILS AND MAIL ROUTES. 1 19
requiring corduroy road ; and as black ash timber was plenty and easily
worked, the Land Company allowed it to be split into rails and covered with
dirt, the bridges being built with logs and poles.
This party consisted of men in the strength and vigor of early manhood,
and had, on the 4th of July, reached what was then by survey the village of
EUicottville in embryo. Though distant from home and society and the
church-going bell, they had observed their sabbaths as days of rest, if not of
worship. War was raging between our country and England ; and the dis-
tant rumble of cannon from Buffalo and the lake aroused their patriotism ;
and they resolved to celebrate the Fourth. Dexter Barnes was orator;
Deacon Walker, chaplain ; and Henry Bamhart, with associates, were to makfe
all the military demonstrations at their cominand. Of course the speech of
the orator was brief, but it was characteristic of one who was full of life and
hope. The prayer was from one whose piety was undoubted, but not offen-
sive. Like a Christian patriot he remembered his country then in a san-
guinary struggle with a formidable foe for the rights of her citizens. He
remembered home and friends, and prayed that a religious influence might
ever characterize the place they then consecrated.
The party thence worked onward to Ischua, which place they reached late
in September, and then in company returned home. Having faithfully dis-
charged their trust, they went to the office, where they received the congrat-
ulations of their faithful friend, Mr. Peacock, as also their full pay. The
honored agent is still living, [October, 1875,] as are Mr. West, Mr. Bamhart,
Mr. O. Cleland, and Mr. N. Cleland.
EARLY MAILS AND MAIL ROUTES.
In consequence of the burning of a portion of the records of the General
Post-Office at Washington, in the war of 18 12, the history of the early mail
routes and post-offices in this part of the country is not easily obtained. It
has been ascertained, however, that a post-office was established at Buffalo,
by the name of Buffalo Creek, as a private office, (not then on any mail
route,) in the latter part of the year 1804, and that Erastus Granger was
appointed postmaster. He received the income of the office as a compen-
sarion for carrying the mail to and from the Niagara post-office. The nearest
offices were at Batavia, Niagara, and Erie, Penn. Mr. Granger held the
office until 18 18, when he was superseded by Julius Guiteau.
Stephen Bates, of Canandaigua, was contractor in 1801-2-3, f°r carrying
the mail west once in two weeks. At or before this contract closed, the
mail route had been extended to Niagara. In 1804, Baker and Seeley
became contractors, and continued such until Oct. i, 1805, the mail being
carried once in two weeks by John Metcalf, of Canandaigua, sub-contractor.
In 1805, Gideon Granger being postmaster-general, the route was extended
120 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
to Buffalo Creek, and an additional $ioo a year was allowed Metcalf, who
himself, in July of this year, took the contract at the rate of $550 a year, to
commence the ist of October. By the terms of this contract, he was
required, in going to Niagara, to transport the mail, once in two weeks, by
the way of New Amsterdam, [the Holland Company's name for Buffalo ;]
but in returning omitted Buflfalo, pursuing his old route from Niagara to
Canandaigua, by the way of Cold Spring and Batavia. The first returns
from the Buflfalo Creek post-office, made July i, 1805, about 7 months from
its establishment, showed a balance due the general government of $11.84.
The first stage from Canandaigua to Buflfalo was run by Metcalf in 1807.
He applied to the legislature for the exclusive privilege. A committee re-
ported favorably. The line from Albany running only to Canandaigua,
travelers were there left, liable to long detention or to imposition in hiring
carriages to take them on. Hence the committee concluded " that the
prayer of the petitioner be granted," and reported a bill which was passed
without opposition, in April, 1807. All other persons were prohibited from
running carriages for hire, under a penalty of $500. Metcalf was to keep
three wagons and three stage sleighs, and the requisite number of horses.
The fare was not to exceed 6 cents a mile for a passage and 14 pounds of
baggage; and every additional 150 pounds weight of baggage was to be
charged 6 cents a mile, or in that proportion.
The stages were to run regularly on stated days ; and from the 1st day of
July to the ist day of October, the rpute was to be performed at least once
a week, except in cases of unavoidable accidents. Only seven passengers
were to be taken in a stage at one time, unless by their unanimous consent.
If a greater number applied, an extra carriage for four passengers was to be
sent. The stages then run from Albany to Canandaigua twice a week ; and
the distance was made from place to place in four days.
The post-oflSce at Erie was established about the year 1798, at the termi-
nation of a two weeks' mail route from Pittsburgh to Erie. The quarterly
returns for April, 1805, showed a balance due the general government of
$16.28.
Previous to 1806, the few settlers in Chautauqua county were dependent
for mail facilities on the post-offices at Erie and Buflfalo. In 1805, a post
route was established between the Buflfalo Creek and Erie, then called
Presque Isle, [pronounced in French, Presk Ele,'\ John Metcalf being con-
tractor ; the mail to be carried once in two weeks, and to commence in the
forepart of 1806. The mail, it is said, was carried by a footman, at first, in
a pocket handkerchief, afterwards in a hand mail-bag. The first post-office
in Chautauqua county was established May 6, 1806, in the present town of
Westfield ; James McMahan, postmaster; the name of the office, Chautauqua.
It was kept on the west side of the creek, at the old Cross Roads. Col.
McMahan held the office until 1818, when it was removed to the east side
of the creek, and Fenn Demming was appointed postmaster.
The second post-office in the county was the Canadaway post-office.
EARLY MAILS AND MAIL ROUTES. 121
established June 18, 1706, near the center of the present town of Sheridan,
about 4 miles east of Fredonia; postmaster, Orsamus Holmes, a soldier of
the Revolution, and a pioneer settler of the county. The town of Chau-
tauqua, in the county of Genesee, then composed all the territory subse-
quently constituting the present county of Chautauqua, except the towns in
range 10, which were annexed in the formation of the county in 1804. For
some years, these two were the only post-offices in the county ; and this mail
route was the only one in the county for about ten years. From Oct. r, 1807,
to Oct. I, 1809, on contract with Edward Fetherly, postmaster at Jefferson,
Ohio, the mail was carried on horseback from Erie to New Amsterdam,
[Buffalo,] once in two weeks, for $140 per annum.
The third post-office in the county was the Pomfret office, established May
6, 1809, where Fredonia now is, then called Canadaway; Samuel Berry,
postmaster. Previously to the organization of Pomfret, in 1808, embracing
ranges 10 and 11, and two townships of range 12, an indefinite portion of
the county about the Canadaway village and post-office was, in 181 7,
changed to Fredonia.
Jacob Houghton, an early lawyer from Rensselaer county, was appointed
postmaster of Pomfret, August 19, 18 13. Having removed to Mayville, he
was succeeded, in 18 16, by Mosely W. Abell, from Buffalo in 18 14. The
office was kept in the inn of Mosely W. and Thomas G. Abell, on the pres-
ent site of the Taylor House. This became one of the principal stage-houses
between Buffalo and Erie. The balance due the general post-office for the
first quarter of this year, [April i, 1817,] was $68.37, at that time the largest
amount returned from any office in the county. The names of those who
have since held the office are Orrin McCluer, (six years,) Charles J. Orton,
son of Judge Philo Orton, John Z. Saxton, Ebenezer A. Lester, Daniel
Douglas, Levi L. Pratt, editor and printer, June i, 1849; O. W. Johnson,
July 20, 1853; Lorenzo Morris, May 15, 1855; Charles J. Orton, April 17,
1861 ; Willard McKinstry, printer, July i, 1862 ; Melvin H. Taylor, 1871.
John Gray, postmaster, of Erie, contracted to carry the mail on horse-
back, once in two weeks, from Buffalo to Cleveland, from October, 181 1, to
December, 1814, for $950 a year. [Postmasters were not then, as now,
prohibited from being contractors.]
By an act of Congress, the postmaster-general was required to furnish mail
facilities to the seat of justice in every county. Chautauqua county having
become fully organized in 18 11, Mayville became entitled to a post-office, which
was established July 1,1812, and Casper Rouse, who transported the mail to and
from Chautauqua, [old Cross Roads,] for a number of years, for the emoluments
of the office, was appointed postmaster. Mr. Rouse died December 25,
1 81 2, less than six months from the date of his appointment. Anselm Pot-
ter was appointed to succeed Mr. Rouse, but declining the office, Charles B.
Rouse was appointed, February 12, 1813. The office has since been held
by George McGonagle, appointed November i, 1816; Jedediah Tracy, May
29, 1819; Jesse Brooks, July i, 1834; Russell Sackett, 1841 ; Col. E. W.
122 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Taylor, in 1845; Stephen A. Beavis, in 1849; Jesse Brooks, in 1853;
Waite J. Stevens, 1866; Egbert Denton, 1867.
For six years prior to the ist of January, 1817, nearly the entire popula-
tion of the county south of " the ridge," received and sent their mail matter
at the Mayville post-office, some of the inhabitants residing at a distance of
thirty miles. People from every neighborhood frequently visiting the land-
office, attending courts, and transacting business, the settlers had frequent
opportunities of sending for their letters and papers. Many letters from
their friends at the East, were brought by immigrants.
Cattaraugus post-office, at the ferry across Cattaraugus creek, on the
Buffalo and Erie road, was established, June i, 181 2, Foster Young, post-
master. He was succeeded by John Mack, innkeeper, July 28, 1814.
[Office discontinued December 4, rSiy.]
Burgettstown post-office was established at the site of the present village
of North-east, Pa., in May, 181 2, Andrew Stevenson, postmaster. Balance
due the general post-office the first quarter, $3.20.
When, after war was declared against England, it became necessary to
send dispatches through the country with greater rapidity, the mail between
Albany and Buffalo was required to be carried at the rate of too miles in
twenty-four hours ; and the postmaster at Buffalo was directed to dispatch
an express mail, twice a week, from Buffalo to Cleveland, " to go and return
as soon as the roads would permit." Iil 1813, the government established an
express by riders on horseback, by way of Carlisle and Williamsport, Pa.,
and Bath and Dansville, N. Y., to Buffalo, " to pass over the route in four
days and eighteen hours." The term " express," applied to anything moving
at this rate at the present day, would sound very strange.
Richard Williams, a pioneer settler and innkeeper of Portland, was a sub-
contractor, under Gray, to carry the mail from Buffalo to Erie on horseback.
This service was mostly performed by his son, Abner Williams, until Com.
Perry's fleet sailed from Erie to attack the British fleet on the lake, when
young Williams volunteered on board the Lawrence, and was killed in the
action on the loth of September, 1813. Richard Williams, while carrying
the mail, once arrived with it from Erie, sick. His wife, Sophia Williams,
took the mail, and set out on horseback for Buffalo. It was in the
time of the spring freshet when the streams were swollen far beyond their
usual limits. She swam her horse across the Cattaraugus, the Eighteen
Mile, and the Buffalo creeks, holding the mail above the water, and delivered
it at Buffalo in time. She also occasionally rode the mail horse between
Buffalo and Erie when her husband and the sons were hurried on the farm.
In 18 14, Richard Williams contracted to carry the mail from Buffalo to Erie,
by the way of Mayville, on horseback, once a week, for $650 a year, from
January i, 181 5, to January i, 181 8. In 1816 was established a mail route
from Meadville, Pa., by way of the forks of Oil creek, Warren, and the out-
let of Chautauqua lake, to Mayville, once a week, on horseback, for three
years, at $420 a year.
EARLY MAILS AND MAIL ROUTES. 1 23
Jamestown post-office was established December 13, 18 16, and Judge
James Prendergast, a pioneer settler, appointed postmaster. The office was
kept in the store of J. & M. Prendergast, the first store erected in the
village, at the north-west comer of Main and First streets, since occupied by
the building of Dascum Allen. The balance due the general post-office at
the end of the first quarter, April 1, 1817, $5.54. Judge Prendergast was
succeeded by Dr. Laban Hazeltine, October 24, 1824, who was succeeded,
June 13, 1829, by Elial T. Foote, the first settled physician in Jamestown,
who held the office twelve years, and who was the first postmaster in the
county that introduced letter-boxes for individuals, commencing with eighty
boxes in 1829. No rent was charged for the boxes during his official term,
and for several years after. He also used the first engraved letter stamps in
the county. Alvin Plumb, an early merchant of Jamestown, was appointed,
June 8, 1 84 1. Having been elected county clerk, he resigned, and was suc-
ceeded by Joseph Kenyon, December 5, 1843. He was a druggist at James-
town, and an early pioneer in Sheridan. He was succeeded by Franklin H.
Wait, October 4, 1844; Eliphalet L. Tinker, an early settler and merchant
in Westfield, was appointed October i, 1848 ; Smith Seymour, July i, 1849;
Rufus Pier, a hatter and an early resident, July i, 1853 ; Charles L. Harris,
July I, 1858; Robert V. Cunningham, July 10, 1861 ; Abner Hazeltine, Jr.,
1866; John T. Wilson, 1867; A. Hazeltine, Jr., 1868; Henry J. Yates,
1871, (perhaps earher ;) Alex. M. Clark, 1874.
Hanover post-office was established in the town of Hanover, at a place
afterwards called Kensington, in the present town of Sheridan, on the Buf-
falo and Erie mail route, about 5 miles from Silver Creek, and 3 miles firom
Forestville, Dec. 7, 1816, and Wm. Holbrook, an early merchant, appointed
postmaster. Having resigned and removed to Walnut Creek, now Forest-
ville, Asa Pierce, an early settler, was appointed in 1822. He, with the aid
of his neighbors, procured a change of the name of the office to Kensington,
the name of the intended village at that place. Mr. P. was for many years
an innkeeper in different parts of the county, and died at Fredonia in 1844,
aged 63 years.
In 1823, a post route was established from Perry, Genesee county, through
Perrysburg, Nashville, and Forestville to Fredonia, the mail to be carried on
horseback, once in two weeks. A post-office named Hanover, was estab-
lished at Forestville, May 15, 1823, Albert H. Camp, postmaster. Unfor-
tunately for the inhabitants around Kensington, the name of Hanover drew
to Forestville nearly all the mail designed for them ; and the name of Han-
over post-office was changed to Forestville, Oct. 15, 1823. On the 2 2d of
March, 1824, it was again changed to Hanover; and in 1853 it again took
the present name of Forestville. Amount due the general post-office for the
quarter ending July i, 1823, $5.73 ; for the quarter ending July i, 1825,
$17.97. For several years a mail was carried, by consent of the postmaster-
general, between Forestville and Kensington, as often as the mail passed on
the Erie road. Mr. Camp having resigned the office, Wm. S. Snow, a printer.
124 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
and son of Seth Snow, a pioneer from Massachusetts, was appointed. The
names of those who have since held the office, are Ernest Mullett, John
Morrison, Ira A. Torrey, Nedebiah Angell, Benajah Tubbs, James H. Phelps,
B. Tubbs, (2d appointment,) Orrin Morrison, Cyrus D. Angell, Horace
Burgess, Walter G. Griswold. Present postmaster, Horace Burgess.
The mail contract from Meadville was renewed in 181 9, the mail to be
carried weekly on horseback, by way of Forks of Oil Creek, Brokenstraw,
Youngsville, Warren, Fairbank, and Jamestown ; and to this route was added
the route between Mayville and Westfield, which had been included in the
Buffalo and Erie contract
In 1823, Capt. Gilbert Ballard started a stage- wagon ' running once a week
on the east side of the lake from Jamestown to Mayville, going and return-
ing the same day. In 1824, the weekly was changed to a tri- weekly route;
and the mail was carried three times a week, the postmaster-general allowing
$200 for the service. Subsequently the line became a daily mail stage line
of post-coaches, rurming alternately on the east and west side of the lake.
And later, the mail was carried on the lake by steamboats in the summer.
Dunkirk post-office was established as a private office, in February, 18 18,
Elisha Doty, postmaster, who received the avails of the office for the trans-
mission of the mail to and from Fredonia. There have been since appointed.
Dr. Ezra Williams, a pioneer physician from Oneida county, June 3, 1822 ;
Adam Fink, Dec. 16, 1833 ; Wm. L. Carpenter, a publisher of the Dunkirk
Beacon, in 1841 ; Lysander B. Brown, a lawyer, in 1844; George B. Stock-
ton, in 1852; Patrick Barrett, in 1856, who died in the war in 1862;
Richard L. Cary, in April, 1861 ; Sidney L. Wilson, 1867 ; Lee L. Hyde, 1871.
Westfield post-office was established June 15, 1818, Fenn Demming, post-
master, virtually superseding the old Chautauqua office, the first in the county.
Demming had been a surgeon in the war of 181 2, and opened the first drug
store in Westfield. Orvis Nichols was appointed in February, 1833 ; Calvin
Rumsey in 1840; Wm. Sexton a few months later, and in' 1843 superseded
by Orvis Nichols, who was in turn superseded by Mr. Sexton. In 1853,
Hiram W. Beers, a Methodist minister, was appointed, and in about a year was
succeeded by Dr. Marcellus Kenyon. David Mann, a former district-attor-
ney, was appointed in 1855 ; Byron Hall in 1861 ; Fred. C. Barger, 1865 ;
Wm. K Wheeler, 1867 ; Clara U. Drake, 187 1.
Portland post-office was established December 7, 1818, Calvin Bams, post-
master. He was a pioneer settler, a soldier of the Revolution and in the war
of 1812, and was wounded at the battle of Buffalo, December, 1813. The
office was then at his farm, afterwards owned by Hiram and Joshua West,
about six miles east of Westfield. The town then extended west to Chau-
tauqua creek. The present Portland post-office is on the Erie road, i J^
miles west from Brocton.
Elijah Blaisdell carried the mail on contract from Buffalo to Erie, by way
of Mayville, at the rate of $736 a year, for three years from January i, 1818.
The route was finally extended from Buffalo to Lewiston, for the additional
EARLY MAILS AND MAIL ROUTES. 1 25
sum of $150. Blaisdell having made a default in the fulfillment of his con-
tract, Richard Williams, innkeeper, of Portland, was employed to cany the
mail from Buffalo, by way of Mayville, to Erie.
In 1820, Col. Nathaniel Bird, a soldier of the Revolution, who settled in
Westfield in 1815, contracted to carry the mail once a week, on horseback,
from Buffalo to Erie, not by way of Ma)^le, from January i, 1821. The
people of Mayville bfeing dissatisfied, Mayville was restored to its place in
the route; and the carrier was allowed $50 additional compensation. Col.
Bird commenced the running of mail stages on this route. The weekly
stages were a great accommodation to the public; but the road, for miles
east of Cattaraugus creek, was for many years' extremely bad — sometimes
almost impassable, except when frozen — and passengers were often compelled
to go on foot. The stages were ordinary two-horse wagons, with canvas
covering, and seats on wooden springs along the inside of the box, with
cushions and low backs. To carry the mail through in the stipulated time,
it became necessary at times to forward it on horseback. There was no
bridge on the stage route over the Buffalo, Eighteen Mile, or Cattaraugus
creek. The " four-mile woods," Cattaraugus creek, and Cash's tavern in the
present town of Brant, were the dread of all travelers in carriages. Many a
traveler with a team has been compelled to employ a man with a yoke of
oxen to assist in dragging the wagon through the mud, the women and
children walking over the road.
At the commencement of 1823, Col. Bird, associated with a Mr. Marvin,
of Buffalo, commenced running his stage-wagons twice a week ; the postmas-
ter-general having added $200 to his compensation, making it $750 for trans-
portation of the semi-weekly mail. By the exertions of Col. Bird, the erection
of toll bridges over the Buffalo, Eighteen Mile, and Cattaraugus creeks was
hastened.
In 1824, Col. Bird associated with him his son, Ira R. Biid, of Westfield,
and others, and in 1826 commenced running a daily stage, post-coaches being
run on portions of the route. An opposition line, called the Buffalo and
Erie Union Line, was put on this road by Walter Smith and others. In
February, 1825, the toll bridge over Eighteen Mile creek fell a few minutes
after the mail stage had crossed it.
In May, 1826, the Union Stage Company, of which Alanson Holmes was
agent, established a tri-weekly line of stages between Buffalo and Erie, by
way of Hamburgh, Eden, Collins, Lodi, (now Gowanda,) Perry sburgh, For-
estville and Fredonia, to Erie. Fare $3, and four cents a mile for way
passengers.
In February, 1826, Obed Edson and Harry Eaton established a semi-
weekly line of stages between Fredonia and Jamestown, which they soon
extended to Dunkirk and Warren, Pa. Capt Ballard soon after commenced
running his stages between Jamestown and Ma)rville, except Sundays, making
a daily line between Jamestown and Westfield.
Post-coaches were first run regularly on the entire route between Buffalo
126
HISTORY OF CHAUT4.UQUA COUNTY.
Jaod Erie, with tlife d^r mail;.f«afly ip 1829, by llufus S. Reed, of Erie,
Thomas G. Abell, of Fi^donu^ a»i4j5ela t). Coe, of Buffalo. Col. Bird sold
out his interest in the stages 9%^ thfi tinpiej having peached the age of 16.
He died in Hi|mi»uirgh, N. Y., in 1847, dged 84.
lo the spria^of tSifi an agrahgenSSi^ was ^aide between the proprietors
oC the '^Pioneer'' st^mb^ hmniiog feom;^u&lip to &ie and those of tk^
4^y stages, 1>y whu^,&^^^o;^e^'jf^' ^^!(^fi^^fa^!i^gep to and from Buffalo
and Dimlarky.,ni^i^{|;t^^Pf:KeBG^^^I^}(W^^%^ Passengers would
tj^en leave by ^e, ^jeinw^l^^^0ip^afftHit^ b{^<l K^^ between Buffalo and
GattaAiu^ and.gji/i^^sl^^^^ll^
: .'hK' ■■■' i-r ' %:■ '■■■'■ '■
rf^
^oli<;y of, the ,^oH-and land, company.
V;. VifLick OF Land, and Terms of Sale.
The pqlicy.ot tlMt I^pUaxidr Cpiupany in the disposal of their lands, and
the effects pf tbftt pplicy upoii the interests of the Company and of the set-
tlers respeeti3((dy< b?kve been a thenie of frequent discussion. Although
nearly forty yeai^ b^ve elapsed since the relation between the Company and
the settles. cdSjfC^^ yet, as ap important item of past histoiy^the subjejCt is
entitled t6 a notfce in this work. ? ..;.
The prpe pakJ"foK this, Jands, by the. Company, we are infcJrpaedt was«32
cents ,pe^^e.>/J>^ P#^' at wWpb the early ssde? were,m«de,waS about
$a^be»^<viU^ B#)«&,Qr l^^b)^, tjbe locadon and the quantity sold. The
books ^ li^j^qj^pswgr i^f^Hfj^e pjipa>,in thisy CQUOty to. haiise been about
$2.5qan acf(k,i;if3Bb||»,'R|i^^ajtet,de4wSiig the eoaS q£ swrey% |tod the ex-
penses of the l$||^t<<^^60^i,$0ttld seem to have left to the Company a large
profit. Yet th^opi|^q^^^^^4)^^^f>'^«vai]e4»i,^t»t,!B^ s^9 at what is
usually .termed the > g^^«i^8WS|ai^^ii|5*/4?^ better for the
Company. . -'■'"v'ir^^^jpftA • ■' "','*• ■ "''
It hfes often been remarked, th&t By nolding the lands .at the high credit
prices, eastern emigrants hav|(ig money were attracted to the Western state%
across the Hollan^ .P-aJs^jw^to get' c^eap'laftte^tlms retarding the settle-
meM^ the Furc^m^^i^)|iavii>8tits lan(i^ t^oe ikcupied by the poorer
class^f emigran^'!\6i}t,)m^^. are pqt aware that the price of the public
land^at the tfaag ''^^gll' ^^^^^"^ <^l&^^^ c^^ppieoced theic^ales, was
ab<ilit.,!|be%m*«8W Pjf^l^^^fc;^?^''^ ^^'^I^P*?''^f ^^^ common; price
of gov|^mefi%Hlands ii^ilP^^WPfts ^*$a/ 'A^^t^^ enter a
quarter-secti|to,;^§o a^(||r,JKjf."pajfeg dowp $80 ; the remainder to bfc paid
in sums of $80 yearlji. " If tl^eV^ole were not paid in five years, the claim
was forfeited. The lai^^ was i*t Uable to taxation before tWl&piration of
five years. As Congress sold to no person less than a quarter-section, poor
men joined in the purchase, and divided H^ land. During the period of
general depression and bank suspensions that succeeded the war of 1812,
"C y^t^^
POLICY OF THE HOLLAND LAND COMPANY. 1 27
many were unable to make further payments, and forfeited their lands. But
for the relief of such, Congress passed an act making the certificate of en-
trance receivable on the land it covered. By a later act, the price was
reduced to $1.25 per acre, cash. Another act allowed the division of quarter-
sections into lots of 80 acres ; so that, with a certificate of the payment of
$80, and $20 in cash, a person could buy 80 acres. Still some, unable to
raise the $20, lost their lands. It appears, therefore, that, not until several
years after the war of 1812, which closed in 1815, did emigrants find more
favorable terms of purchase in the Western states.
The books of the Holland Company show remarkably slow progress of
payment by purchasers of lands. A large portion of them must have for-
feited their claims. It appears that, at the' expiration of ten years, those
who had paid little or nothing, were charged with " increase of purchase
money," which was a sum added to the sum remaining unpaid. To what
extent this was done in this county does not appear, as many of the older
books were destroyed at Mayville by the memorable conflagration at that
place, in 1836. The increase charged was, in many instances, nearly equal
to, and in a few even greater than the sum due on the contract.
For example : In Wyoming county, G. T. J. was charged April i, 1806,
" To 2tlots, 728 acres, $1,456," being $2 per acre, only $10 having been
paid down. At the end of 10 years, he was charged "To Increase, $1,648,"
making the sum of $3,104; and the land was bought in parts by six diflfer-
ent purchasers, who took new articles. Another, whose unpaid balance was
$615, was charged " To Increase, $642," and articles were given to three new
purchasers, charged with $1,257. In Chautauqua county, Eleazar Crocker
was charged, Sept 3, 1808, for land, $225, on which $12 were soon after
paid, and on the 4th of September, 1818, $157.50 was added as increase
of purchase money. Jonas Seaman, charged Jan. 13, r8io, for land, $435,
of which there remained unpaid, $391.25, was charged Jan. 14, 1820, as
increase, $281.14, and renewed his article for $672.39. In nearly every
instance, the increase is charged the day next after the ten years had expired.
In some cases, a smaller increase is charged in less than ten years from the
date of the contract.
Some assistance ' was rendered the settlers in making pa)m[ients, by the
offer of the Company to receive cattle on their contracts. Agents were sent
once a year to certain towns for that purpose. We find in the Batavia books,
the first credit for cattle in 1822 or 1823. Cattle were thus received for a
number of years. We have seen, in the eastern part of the Purchase, a few
credits for grain ; but the receiving of grain, it is presumed, was never gen-
eral, at any considerable distance from a good market. An additional stimu-
lus was given by a notice to those most in arrears, that in case of speedy
payment, a liberal deduction would be made from the sums due. This was
the cause of some dissatisfaction to those who had been more prompt in
their payments, who regarded it as a premium to their slack neighbors for
their want of punctuality.
128 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
During these times it was that most was heard of the impolicy of the
plan of the Company for the disposal and settlement of their lands. .Prob-
ably with the view of inviting immigration, articles were given to settlers on
the most easy terms — to some, on payment of a sum barely sufficient to pay
for drawing the contract, which was about one dollar ; and many, doubtless,
were attracted hither by this easy mode of obtaining possession of land.
The early settlers were generally poor, having expended nearly the last dollar
in their removal, and could scarcely have purchased on less accommodating
terms. Yet some of these, after a short residence and sundry discourage-
ments, sold out their " improvements " and sought new homes in more favor-
able localities. Then, too, was so often expressed the opinion that the
Company would have done better, and the country would have been more
prosperous, had the low price and cash plan been adopted, as it would have
brought in a better as well as a more industrious and enterprising class of
inhabitants. That some persons of the lower class were drawn hither by
the easy terms offered by the Company is true. But the old inhabitants of
Chautauqua county still living will agree in saying that its early settlers were
generally honest, frugal, and industrious, and in point of moral worth, not
inferior to the population of any other county in the state.
t
Condition of the Settlers.
A recurrence to facts will reveal the true cause of the slow progress of the
settlers in discharging their obligations to the Company. Most of them were
comparatively young men from the East, and poor. Wages had been low ;
and they had laid up little more than enough to buy a team and to defray
the expense of their removal. They had heavily timbered lands to clear,
and for a time had no sons able to help, nor the means of hiring help. And
for the little surplus of the products of their farms, there was for years no
market beyond the demands of new-comers. War came ; and many were
obliged to leave their farms and join the army. Some of them served to
the end of the war — between two and three years. Peace returned ; labor
was again thrown upon the land ; and within a few years there was a large
surplus which scarcely compensated for raising it. The price of wheat in
Rochester, then the nearest and best cash market in the western part of the
state, was 2S. 6d. to 3s. per bushel, which would hardly pay for its transpor-
tation in that time of bad roads. Occasionally a load was taken to Albany
by teamsters going after goods for the merchants. At home, a bushel was
given for a pound of tobacco, or a yard of brown cotton cloth.
In providing means for prosecuting the war, double duties were laid upon
imports, which duties were to continue during the war, and for a year after
its close. These duties checked importations and encouraged home manu-
factures. Many manufactories sprang into being. The period of high duties
expired in the winter of 1816. Commercial intercourse with Great Britain
was resumed, and the country was again flooded with British goods. Our
manufactures were prostrated. The country was drained of its money to
POLICY OF THE HOLLAND LAND COMPANY. 129
pay for foreign goods ; specie payments were suspended ; and bank bills
depreciated to 70 or 80 per cent, below par, and in some states to almost
nothing. No wonder that the books of the Land Company showed so few
and so small credits to settlers, nor that so many children went barefoot
until the first snows had fallen.
We have elsewhere spoken of the partial relief found within doors from
the help of the spindle and the shuttle, and from the products of the forest —
ashes. Thus the struggle continued until the completion of the Erie canal,
in 1825, which, by opening to our people an accessible market, brought them
permanent relief. They entered upon a course of prosperity, and many of
them soon attained a comfortable independence.
A large portion of the settlers, however, still felt the pressure of their land
debt. They thought it but just that the Land Company, who had grown
rich under the laws of the state removing their alien disabilities, and exempt-
ing them from taxation, should contribute some share toward the expenditures
of the state government. Application to the legislature was made in 1833,
for a law to this effect, which was passed in that year. The act was advocated
by its friends upon the principle, that, if any of our own citizens held the
same security, as the contracts of these non-resident landholders, such
securities would be liable to taxation ; that the present value and ultimate
payment of the debt due the Holland Company were involved in the stability
of our laws ; and that the construction of the Erie canal, effected by the
settlers on their lands in connection with other citizens of the state, had
increased the value of the Company's purchase several millions of dollars, a
considerable portion of which had been and would be realized by the
Company.
After the passage of this law, the Company, through their local agent,
served notices on persons having contracts on which payments were due,
though the contracts had not expired, requiring them to pay, " or satisfac-
torily arrange,'' the balance due, or quit the premises within two months.
A citizen commenting' on this notice in a newspaper remarked, that, "if
every species of personal property owned by the settlers could be sold, the
money would not half meet the requirements of this summary mandate." The
issuing of this notice so soon after the passage ot the act, is of itself strong
presumptive evidence that this sudden change of policy was designed as a
retaliation to those who had been instrumental in procuring the passage of
the law. This evidence finds confirmation in the innuendo or threat uttered
by one in the interest of the Company, while the bill was pending in the
legislature, that, " it might be worse for the settlers."
The Company Sell their Lands — Land Office Destroyed.
It will readily be imagined, that the announcement of this newjiolicy
produced a stir among the settlers throughout the Purchase ; and their feelings
found vent, to a great extent, through the newspapers. They advised the
making of no new contracts while existing contracts were in life, and when
9
I30 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
they did renew, to agree to the payment of no tax but the ordinary land tax
which they now paid. It was suggested that meetings be held in the several
towns to consult on measures to be adopted ; that the Company be petitioned
to rescind the decree, and if this were not done, to petition the legislature.
They also questioned the power of the Company to enforce the forfeiture
of a contract until all the stipulated payments were due.
In the same year or the year following, the Company commenced selling
out their remaining interest in portions of the Purchase to small companies
or to individuals. The first sale in this county by the Company, was the sale of
their interest in the town of Charlotte, to Hinman Holden, of Batavia. In
November, 1835, the Holland Company made an agreement with Trumbull
Cary and George W. Lay, of Batavia, to sell to them all their estate, personal
and real, in this county. This consisted in wild lands, reverted lands, lands
held under valid contracts, and a few bonds and mortgages on lands sold and
Tiot conveyed. The purchase money was payable as follows : $50,000 in
hand, and the residue in four equal installments in six, twelve, eighteen, and
twenty-four months ; the Company to retain the legal title to the property as
security, to receive all the moneys collected, and to take in their own name
and retain all securities by bonds, mortgages, and contracts, which should
be taken on the sale of the lands and the liquidation of debts. But the local
agent of the Holland Company was, as far as should be consistent with its
security, to be governed by the direction of the new [equitable] proprietors.
The sale, or agreement to sell, having come to the knowledge of the settlers,
Mr. Peacock, the local agent of the Company, was applied to for informa-
tion as to the terms and policy adopted, or to be adopted, by the new
proprietors ; but the applicants received no definite answer. The fact was
reported to a meeting of settlers, at which a committee was appointed, con-
sisting of Elial T. Foote, Oliver Lee, Samuel Barrett, Leverett Barker, and
George T. Camp, who were to visit the new proprietors at Batavia, for the
information which they failed to obtain at Mayville.
The following is a copy of the " Genesee Land Tariff" as it was called.
It was copied by Judge Foote from the one exhibited to the Chautauqua
committee :
" In all cases of articles which have expired since the first of January, 1835,
or which may hereafter expire, a new sale may be made, and new contracts
may be issued, payable in ten annual installments, with interest annually, on
the following terms, one-eighth of the purchase money being paid down :
" I. In all cases where the amount due on the old contract is less than $3
on the acre, an advance of $1 on the acre to be charged.
" 2. Where the amount due is over $3 per acre, and less than $5, an
advance of $1.50 per acre to be charged.
" 3. Where the amount is over $5 on the acre, and less than $8, $2 per
acre to be added.
" 4. .Where there is due over $8 per acre, an advance of $3 per acre to
be charged.
" 5. Contracts which have been forfeited in consequence of non-compli-
ance with the notices, to be considered as expired.
POLICY OF THE HOLLAND LAND COMPANY. 131
" 6. Any settler holding under an article expired since January last, may
be permitted to pay up and take a deed on the payment of per acre.
" 7. In all cases where the land is worth twice the amount of the purchase
money, a deed may be given and a mortgage taken on the above terms.
" 8. Any settler may surrender his article before it expires, and take a new
contract on the above terms.
" 9. These terms are for the benefit of actual settlers, and not to be
extended to those who hold contracts pledged for the payment of debts, or
who have purchased them for speculation ; but all such persons will be
required to pay the full value of the land.
" 10. In case any settler whose article has expired since the first of Jan-
uary last, or shall hereafter expire, shall neglect to take a new article on the
above terms, for the space of six months, the said land to be resold for a sum
not less than wild land.
"11. No advance to be charged upon lands held by widows and orphan
children.
"12. No wild land, or other land not heretofore articled, or any of that
class of expired articles purchased as wild lands, at $2 per acre, or the lots
in BaUvia or Buffalo to be sold until the same have been apprized, and a
price fixed by the proprietors.
"Dated November, 1835."
Incensed by what the settlers deemed an unreasonable advance on the
prices of their lands, arrangements were soon made for a raid upon the land-
office in Mayville, with a view to the destruction of the books and papers
belonging to the office. This design was carried into eflfect on the 6th of
February, 1836. The land-office was demolished ; and most of the books,
records, maps, mortgages and contracts, were carried off about two miles and
burned. The mob consisted of about two hundred and fifty men. The
excitement was not confined to this county. In the spring of 1836, a crowd
of seven hundred made a descent upon the Holland Company's office at
Batavia, which, however, was successfully defended by an organized military
force and citizens, armed from the state arsenal in that village, and two block-
houses, erected in anticipation of an attack.
Policy of Mr. Seward.
William H. Seward had, just before the day fixed for the attack upon the
Batavia office, been applied to by the new proprietors to assume the agency
of the estate. He was also to take an interest in the purchase. And sub-
sequently, Abraham M. Schermerhom, a banker in Rochester, also became
a partner. In June, 1836, before Mr. Seward had accepted the proposition
of the proprietors, a convention, held at Mayville, resolved, that the proprie-
tors be invited to open an office in the county, and pledged themselves that
the settlers would cheerfully pay the principal and interest accrued upon their
contracts, but would submit to no extortionate demands, by way of what was
called the " Genesee Tariff," compound interest, or otherwise. Confiding in
the intelligence and justice of the people, he was determined by this expres-
sion to accept the trust proposed. With a view to greater safety, he estab-
lished his office at Westfield, the citizens of that place having pledged them-
132 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
selves to protect it from mob violence. Rooms were fitted up in the West-
field House building ; and the business was conducted to the general satis-
faction of the settlers. A commodious building for a land-office was soon
erected on North Portage street, and was occupied for this purpose until the
business of the new Company was closed.
In 1838, Mr. Seward was nominated for the office of governor. A few
weeks after, it was insinuated by an anonymous correspondent of a county
paper, that —
" The bonds and mortgages of the settlers of Chautauqua county are now
in Wall street. New York :
" That some Trust Company has a deed of all the lands of the settlers :
"That through the agency of Nicholas Biddle and others, William H.
Seward has raised money in Europe at an interest oi Jive per cent , while he
demands seven per cent, from you, [the settlers] :
" And that he and his associates pay interest annually, and extort interest
from you semi-annually." •
These accusations, as might be expected during an election campaign,
were copied into leading papers of the party opposed to Mr. Seward* elec-
tion, with numerous additional accusations : " having violated his agreement
with the settlers ; sold their mortgages to soulless corporations, which would
demand payment the moment they expired;" that their farms "would be
sold on mortgage for half their value, and Seward, a wealthy and heartless
speculator by trade, would be the purchaser, and thus rob the poor settlers of
millions of their hard earnings."
A few weeks after the publication of these accusations, Mr. Seward
addressed the citizens of Chautauqua county, through the press of the county,
defending himself against what he called " misrepresentations of fact and
injurious inferences." Regarding it as having a legitimate connection with
the history of the Holland Purchase, and especially that portion which is
embraced within the bounds of Chautauqua county, a large portion of it is
here copied as a part of our county history :
" Compelled by ill health to relinquish my profession, it seemed to me that
I might, without wrong or injury to you, contribute to restore peace, harmony
and prosperity in that flourishing region of the state where so much unhappy
agitation prevailed. . . . Nor did it appear to me morally wrong to
receive from the purchasers an adequate compensation for my services. The
compensation tendered, as an equivalent for the not unprofitable pursuits
which I abandoned, was invested in the purchase.
" The Holland Company reposed in me the extreme confidence of consti-
tuting me their agent, although I was a purchaser under them ; and it is due
to them and to the proprietors to say, that without even the previous formal-
ity of an agreement in writing, or other instrument than a letter of attorney,
I went among you to undertake the agency you desired should be estab-
lished.
" It was known to me that the Holland Company insisted upon its pay-
ments ; and these could only be made by raising a loan in Europe or else-
where, to meet their demands sooner than they could be collected from you,
without intolerable oppression. I therefore stipulated with the American
POLICY OF THE HOLLAND LAND COMPANY. 1 33
Trust Company, before commencing my agency, that as soon as the liquida-
tion of the debts by bonds and mortgages could be effected, and the mone-
tary affairs of the country would permit, they should advance me their bonds
for the amount. I secured also an understanding with the Holland Com-
pany, that they would favor the proprietors and settlers, until I could accom-
plish this preliminary settlement and security.
" Thus prepared, I opened an office, and invited the settlers to liquidate
their debts, and quiet all alarm, as well about the title of their lands, as
the terms and conditions of their credit, by taking deeds and executing
bonds and mortgages for the purchase money. In less than eighteen
months, four thousand persons whom I found occupying lands, chiefly under
expired and legally forfeited contracts of sale, and excited and embarrassed
alike by the oppression and uncertainty of ever obtaining titles, and antici-
pated exactions upon their contracts — ^became freeholders — upon the terms
at their own option either of payment of their purchase money, or payment
of a convenient portion thereof, and a credit of five years for the residue..
"When the occupant could not pay an advance, and his improvements
were insufficient to secure his debt, his contract, no matter how long
expired, was renewed without any payment. It was always, as you well
know, a principle of my agency, that no man could lose his land by forfeit-
ure, if he would but agree to pay fox it in five years. There was none so
poor that he could not secure his "farm and his fireside." I think, too, you
will recollect, that to the sick and infirm, I invariably sent their papers for
securing their farms; to the indigent, the money to bear their expenses to
the land-office ; and since I am arraigned as a ' soulless speculator,' I may
add, that to the widow, I always made a deduction from the debt of her
deceased husband. To the common schools I gave lands gratuitously for
their school-houses. From the time I came first among you to this period, I
have never refused any indulgence of credit and postponement that was
asked at my hands.
" When I found a few persons (as there must necessarily be some) who were
obstinate in refusing terms generally esteemed so liberal, I appealed to them
first through the public newspapers, then by letters through the post-office, and
finally by a message sent directly to their houses. When these efforts failed
to arrest their attention, and in a few cases legal proceedings or forfeitures
were necessary, I uniformly conveyed the land upon the same terms as if the
occupants had earlier complied with the terms which their fellow-citizens
deemed so reasonable and liberal.
" Thus contentment was universally diffused among you, when the pressure
of 1837 fell upon you, and me, and the whole country. Foreseeing many
cases of emljarrassment, in making payment on your bonds and mortgages
in that season of scarceness of money, I immediately issued a notice that
the first payment of principal would be dispensed with if the interest should
be paid. Having then obtained a definite proposition from the American
Trust Company, that an advance to the proprietors should be upon a credit
of ten years, with semi-annual interest, I immediately announced to you the
welcome and unexpected proposition to extend your bonds and mortgages
for the same period and upon the same terms. This proposition has been
generally accepted, and is yet open to all.
"On the nth of July, 1838, after two years' continued notice that the
title of the Holland Company would pass from them to the proprietors
or their trustees, the improved condition of the estate and the returning
134 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
prosperity of the country, enabled me to conclude my arrangement with the
American Trust Company. That institution advanced to me its bonds for
the amount owed by you to the proprietors, and by the proprietors to the
Holland Company; and I paid them over to John Jacob Vanderkemp, agent of
the Holland Company, at a sacrifice to my associates and myself, in discharge
of their whole demands. Desirous to secure you against all possible incon-
venience from this arrangement, it was agreed that the estate should remain
as before, under my agency ; and the title of the lands, bonds, mortgages
and contracts, was vested by a deed in myself and two others as trustees, to
continue the settlement of the estate for the benefit of the proprietors and
the security of the American Trust Company. This deed was immediately
placed on record in Chautauqua county. The agreement between the parties
stipulates that my agency, in person or by my own appointment, shall con-
tinue three years ; and that payments made by you in Chautauqua county shall
be credited as soon as paid there. The bonds, mortgages and contracts remain
tinder this arrangement in the Chautauqua land-office, whence they have never
been removed.
" In this transaction the Bank of the United States has had this agency :
the general agent of the Holland Company has always kept his accounts and
deposits with that institution, and his remittances were made through it.
The payments from the Chautauqua office, like those of all the other offices
on that tract, pass through the same institution. It received the bonds of
the American Trust Company at a discount stipulated by me, arid paid for
them by a certificate of deposit to Mr. Vanderkemp, payable at six months.
" From this explanation it appears that your bonds and mortgages are not
in Wall street, nor in the Bank of the United States, but where you have
always found them — in the Chautauqua land-office.
" That no Trust Company, foreign or domestic, has a deed of your lands ;
but that the title of the lands of the state, and your securities; is vested in
myself and my associate trustees, citizens of this state, instead of Wilhem
Willink, Walrave Van Heukelom, and others in Europe :
" That neither through the agency of Nicholas Biddle, nor otherwise, have
I borrowed money in Europe or elsewhere, at 5 per cent., and loaned it to
you at 7 per cent. ; but that instead of demanding from you immediate pay-
ment of your indebtedness to the Holland Company, I have borrowed the
money upon your credit and that of the proprietors, and for your benefit and
ours, upon a term of ten years, at 7 per cent., of which you have the full
benefit :
" That the proprietors do not exact semi-annual interest while they pay
annually ; but that while they pay interest semi-annually, you pay annually
or semi-annually, at your own option :
"That your 'farms and firesides' have not been put in jeopardy by me,
but in just so much as a deed subject to a bond and mortgage, with ten
years' credit, is a more safe tenure, than an expired and forfeited contract of
sale, they have been secured to you :
"And that you have not been delivered over to a ' soulless corporation,'
but that your afiairs have been arranged so as to secure you against any pos-
sible extortion or oppression in any quarter ; and your bonds and mortgages
are more certainly accessible to you for payment than before the arrangement
was made.
" I have only to add, what you well recollect, that in all the settlement of
this estate, no cent of advance upon your farms, or compound interest, or of
LA FAYETTE IN CHAUTAUQUA. 135
costs upon your debts, has gone into my hands, or those of any other pro-
prietor. That no man has ever lost an acre of land which he desired or
asked to retain, with or without money ; no bond, mortgage, or contract, has
been prosecuted for principal or less than two years' interest; no proceedings
of foreclosure have ever been instituted when the occupant would pay a sum
equal to one year's interest; and every forfeiture has been relinquished
upon an agreement to pay the principal and interest due.
" To the people of Chautauqua county of all political parties, this state-
ment is due, for the generous confidence they have reposed in me, and the
hospitality they have extended to me. It is required, moreover, by a due
regard for their welfare, since their prosperity must be seriously affected by
any discontents about their title and security. It is due to the harmony and
contentment of their firesides. And if it needs other apology, it will be
found in the duty I owe to others ; for, however willing I may be to leave
my own conduct to the test of time and candor, I can not suffer their
interests to be put in jeopardy. William H. Sew.\rd.
"Auburn, Oct. 15, 1838."
Cherry Valley Company's Purchase.
In 1828, a sale of unsold lands in the east and south-east towns of the
county, amounting to about 60,000 acres, was made by the Holland Land
Company, to James O. Morse, Levi Beardsley, and Alvan Stewart, who were
known as the " Cherry Valley Company." The following is a list of the
towns in which the lands were, and the number of acres in each :
Township i, r. 10, Carroll, 9,619 acres. Tp. 2, Poland, 5,398 acres. Tp.
3, Ellington, 1,015 acres. Tp. 4, Cherry Creek, 9,092 acres. Tp. 5,
Villenova, 5,246 acres. Tp. 6, Hanover, 3,273, besides Cattaraugus Village,
1,588 — in all, 4,861 acres. Range 11, tp. i, Kiantone and Busti, 2.824 acres.
Tp. 2, EUicott, 4,169 acres. Tp. 4, Charlotte, 6,218 acres. Tp. 5, Ark-
wright, 5,066 acres. Tp. 6, Sheridan, 747 acres. Range 12, Busti and
Harmony, 5,857 acres. — Total, 60,112 acres.
LA FAYETTE IN CHAUTAUQUA.
Gilbert Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, was bom in France, Sept.
6, 1757, and was married at the early age of sixteen years. Though posses-
sed of an immense estate, he adopted the profession of a soldier, and, at
the age of nineteen, was stationed as captain of dragoons at one of the gar-
risoned towns of France. Having heard of the revolt of the American
colonies, and of the subsequent declaration of independence, and sympa-
thizing with the colonists, he determined to take part in the struggle, and
offered his services to Ccftigress. The rank of major-general was promised
him by the American commissioner at Paris.
News having been received of the disastrous campaign of 1776, he was
advised to abandon his intention. His wife is said to have exhorted him to
136 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
persevere. He resolved to purchase a vessel, to freight it with supplies, and
to set sail for America. His purpose having been discovered, a royal order
was issued to detain him ; but making his escape to Spain with De Kalb and
others, he succeeded in embarking in his vessel from that kingdom. After a
protracted and stormy passage, he landed at Georgetown, S. C, hastened to
Philadelphia, and presented his recommendations to Congress. He was
answered, that, in consequence of so many applications having been received,
there was doubt of his obtaining a commission. Determined to aid the
struggling colonists, he offered his services as a volunteer, and without pay.
His letters were examined, and he was tendered a commission as major-
general. He was wounded at the battle of Brandywine, and debarred for a
time from active service.
In 1788, France declared war against England, and formed an alliance
with the United States. His own country now having need of his services,
he obtained leave of absence. * Complimentary resolutions, and a beauti-
fully ornamented sword, were voted by Congress. He was received by his
countrymen with great enthusiasm.
After an absence of fifteen months, he returned with the assistance of
money and a Frefich fleet bringing Rochambeau and 6,000 soldiers, and
rejoined Washington. He again took an active part in the war, and distin-
guished himself by his successful conduct of the campaign against Cornwallis
at Yorktown. He again returned to France, and procured additional assist-
ance^6o vessels and 24,000 men, and money. Soon after arrival, tidings of
peace were received.
In 1784, at the invitation of Washington, he again revisited the United
States. He arrived in August and departed in December, Congress taking
a formal leave of him. In 1824, he visited this country for the last time.
He landed at New York in August, and took a tour through the United
States, going west to the Mississippi, and returning through the Northern
states. The highest honors were everywhere paid him ; and he was received
with an enthusiasm seldom if ever equaled. So liberally did he share in the
cordial greetings and the hospitalities of the people on his tour of several
months, that he was everywhere hailed as " The Nation's Guest." In two
towns in our county, thousands of our citizens were favored with an oppor-
tunity of testifying their gratitude for his particular services in the nation's
struggle for independence.
Reception at Westfield.
In anticipation of the arrival of the illustrious guest of the nation into our
state from Pennsylvania, a number of gentlemen assembled at Westfield, June
2, 1825, on the evening previous to his expected arrival, to make arrange-
ments for his reception into the state, and to escort and welcome him to that
village. A committee of arrangements was appointed, consisting of the fol-
lowing named persons: Jonathan Cass, Joseph Farnsworth, Henry .^bell,
Oliver Lee, Joshua R. Babcock, Fenn Demming, Eliphalet L. Tinker, Silas
LA FAYETTE IN CHAUTAUQUA. 1 37
Spencer, Thomas B. Campbell, Lemon Averill, John Dexter, Ebenezer P.
Upham, Wm. Peacock, Thomas A. Osborne.
A superb carriage, owned by the Hon. Wm. Peacock, was furnished for
the conveyance of the General from the state line to Westfield. Messrs. T.
B. Campbell, Silas Spencer, Ebenezer P. Upham and Fenn Demming, of the
committee, proceeded to the state line. On his arrival and introduction, he
was presented by T. B. Campbell, Esq., in behalf of the committee, with the
following address :
" General La Fayette : With hearts full of gratitude for services ren-
dered our country, we, as a committee, in behalf of the citizens of Westfield,
have come to meet you and welcome your return to the state of New York.
" We assure you, General, that the same grateful feelings which have been
so unanimously expressed to you by the people of this republic, influence
and animate the citizens of this part of our state ; and although unable to
receive you i^ith the splendor which accompanied your reception on landing
upon our shores, yet we do receive you with no less affectionate and grateful
hearts."
To which the General replied :
" I am fully sensible of the kindness and affection thus expressed to me
by the people of this part of your state ; and I assure you, sir, it affords me
much pleasure to take you by the hand and return you, and, through you, the
citizens of Westfield, my hearty thanks for the respectful manner in which
they have been pleased to communicate their feelings towards me. I am
very happy to find myself again in the patriotic state of New York. Accept,
sir, for yourself and the other gentlemen of the committee, the assurance of
my best wishes for your health and happiness."
From the state line the General was escorted by a large number of gentle-
men on horseback, collected from Ellery, Chautauqua, Portland and Ripley.
At Westfield, the military had been under arms throughout the day to receive
him. An immense concourse of citizens fi-om the neighboring towns was
likewise awaiting, with intense anxiety, the signals of his approach. At a
little after sunset, on Friday evening, the signal guns announced the joyful
tidings of the veteran's arrival. The public houses were illuminated in front,
and a bonfire- was kindled upon the public square, which added much to the
grandeur of the scene. The General was then received amidst the discharge
of cannon. The appearance of the military, particularly the company of
Light Infantry commanded by Capt. Towle, did honor to themselves and the
occasion.
The General, on being introduced into the room provided for the occasion,
was presented by Mr. Campbell to the other gentlemen of the committee
there assembled, when Mr. Osborne, in their behalf, delivered the following
address :
" General : Permit our feeble notes of congratulating welcome to swell
the general anthem of the American nation. Taught fi-om infancy to lisp
the venerated name of La Fayette, which now trembles upon our tongue
with gratitude and joy, we greet thee as the champion of freedom, the friend
of Washington, of our country and her institutions, and the benefactor of
138 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
mankind. While the burst of grateful acclamation which hailed your land-
ing upon our shores has been borne on the tide of grateful hearts, until the
remotest parts of the Union have vibrated with its influence, we of Western
New York have cause for deep and peculiar emotions. ,
" At the period of your valuable labors for the establishment of our repub-
lic, the spot upon which you stand was only tenanted by the howling inhab-
itants of the wilderness. Until a long subsequent period, our country was
without a name and without a population. Now, within its borders the hearts
of more than twenty thousand freemen beat your welcome. It is to you
whom we now address, that, more than to any other, this important change
is to be attributed. The counsels of your wisdom were felt in the cabinet,
and your youthful arm lent vigor to their execution in the field. Animated
by your spirit and fired by your example, your king and your country stepped
forth in the cause of liberty and man, and forever sealed the fate of tyranny
in this western hemisphere. The life-giving energies of the triumph of liberty
were felt in the rapid increase of population and settlement. Had a state of
colonial servitude and dependence continued, your eye would not now have
witnessed our fields covered with golden grain, waving their undulating shad-
ows with sportive playfulness in the breeze. Compare, as you traverse the
mighty Niagara, the colonial and the independent shores, and by their con-
trast test the influence of liberty on the improvement and settlement of the
country, and the promotion of the social happiness of man.
" Finally, General, in behalf of the citizens of the vicinity, we tender to
you our most cordial congratulations upon your arrival among them, and the
anxious aspirations of their hearts, that the evening of your days may be as
tranquil as your life has been constant in the pursuit of freedom. That they
have enjoyed the felicity of meeting and welcoming you among them, will
ever be among the most gratifying of their recollections, while the remem-
brance of the aflfectionate farewell which they must shortly bid you, their
father and their friend, can not fail to awaken the liveliest sensibilities of their
natures, and call forth the most poignant grief."
To ^hich the General replied as follows :
" Gentlemen : I can not express to you my happiness at the kindness of
your reception. When, about ten months since, .1 first landed- upon your
shores, I was received in a manner which can never be forgotten. The
impression then received has been heightened by every subsequent event.
Wherever I have been, I have received the kindest welcome. "But it affords
me peculiar pleasure to be thus received here in Western New York, and to
witness the astonishing rapidity of its progress in improvement and settle-
ment. Accept, sirs, my best wishes for your personal happiness, and,
gentlemen, for the happiness of you all. I am happy to enjoy the interview;
to see you all assembled ; and sincerely regret that circumstances render it
necessary that my stay with you should be so short."
The General was then introduced individually to the ladies and gentlemen
assembled, and appeared to be, highly gratified with the scene. Among the
gentlemen introduced were a number of the soldiers of the Revolution. The
interviews between the General and these companions in arms were cordial
and affecting.
He was then presented to the Fredonia delegation, in waiting to escort
him to that village ; and, after a stay of about two hours, at about ten o'clock
LA FAYETTE IN CHAUTAUQUA. 1 39
in the evening, they departed during the discharge of twenty-four rounds
from the artillery, with every demonstration of gratification on his part, and
of respect and veneration on the part of the citizens assembled.
Reception at Fredonia.
The account of the reception of the " Nation's Guest " at Fredonia was
published in the Censor, of June 9, 1825, as follows :
Gen. La Fayette, with his suite, Col. G. W. La Fayette, and Messrs. Le
Vasseur and De Syon, arrived in this village on Saturday last, [June 4th,] at
about two o'clock in the morning, on his way to the eastward. He left
Waterford, Pa., about 7 o'clock on Friday morning, and arrived here — 2l
distance of 60 miles — ^without making any long stops, traveling in the night.
His approach was announced by a salute of thirteen guns from Capt.
Brown's company of artillery, which, with Capt. Whitcomb's rifle rangers
and detachments of the 169th regiment, were posted on the west hill
to receive him. When he arrived, the military marched in advance down
the hill, and halted in front of Abell's hotel, [the present site of the Taylor
house]. Here the ladies had been collected, and with the military. Revolu-
tionary soldiers and citizens, formed into two lines extending to the platform
erected in front of the hotel. The General and suite then alighted, walked
down the lines, and ascended the platform, followed by the committee of
arrangements and military officers. The committee, clergy, etc., having been
introduced, the Rev. David Brown, of the Episcopal church, at the request
of the committee, thus addressed our distinguished guest :
" Gen. La Fayette : We rejoice to see you. We greet you welcome to
our rural hospitalities, and thank you for the great pleasure thus to salute a
man most high and most dear in the estimation of every American. It pains
me, sir, to add the least possible degree to your fatigue at this late hour of
the night, but my fellow-citizens, having appointed me to the honor of
addressing you, expect from me a passing remark on the motives which
have prompted the little attentions within our limited powers, dwelling, as
we do, where shortly since dwelt beasts of the forest.
" It will suffice to tell how much and for what we admire you ; but, sir,
our admiration is qualified by a dearer sentiment. We greatly admire your
character as standing in the front rank of the true and disinterested cham-
pions of the universal republic, whose citizens comprise all the friends of
liberty on earth.. We admire the brilliant luster of your early heroism, by
which you were inspired to rend the strongest ties of nature, and as a disin-
terested volunteer in the righteous cause of liberty, to burst from the attrac-
tions of all that was splendid and all that was lovely. In this act of your
youth, sir, as in many that followed, we behold an eminent illustration of the
much admired virtue, which enabled a great chief of sacred antiquity to look
down with indifference on all the splendors and glories of the royal court of
Egypt, when the cause of freedom and of God called him to the privations
and dangers of a hostile wilderness.
" That, at every earthly hazard, through a life devoted to the vindication
of liberty, you have uniformly asserted the rights of man, we admire you ;
and we rejoice in an opportunity to acknowledge your undisputed claims to
I40 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
the gratitude and admiration of the world. We are almost lost in admira-
tion, sir, as we look forward to the transcendent eminence that you will here-
after occupy in the history of all princes and potentates of the earth, how-
ever shining may have been their career, nay, how great soever their virtues ;
for, with our own Washington, you have shown that ' a man is greater than
a monarch.'
" But it is not so much by our admiration of what is illustrious in the
character of Gen. La Fayette that we are moved and animated on this occa-
sion, as by our veneration and love for what is excellent and amiable. Most
sincerely and deeply do we appreciate the respect and admiration of your
exalted character ; yet, the sentiment that predominates over even these, if
not in general estimation more highly honorable, we feel as not less your
due as our benefactor and friend, nor less worthy ourselves as Americans.
We love you, sir, as our friend, and our fathers' friend ; we love you and can
never forsake you. Never can our hearts beat with sentiments becoming
men and Americans, when .they shall have ceased to glow with filial affec-
tion for Gen. La Fayette.
" It would be needless to speak of the origin and strength and warmth
of affection entertained for you by those who took part with you in the
liberation of our country from a foreign yoke. It may not, however, be
unpleasing, we hope, to be reminded of the means by which, in the bosoms
of the generations that have since come on the stage of life, this sentiment
has been implanted and made to grow with our growth and to strengthen
with our strength. For almost half a century, sir, your name, associated
with all that is amiable in the philanthropist, as well as all that is chivalrous
in the soldier of liberty, has been one of our most favorite ' household
words.'
" When, in your tour through our country, our hearts have followed you
and witnessed your emotions while embracing your old comrades in arms —
especially when our sympathies were roused by the sublime and affecting
scene at the sepulchre of our Washington, the interesting fire-side scenes of
our early days were again brought home to our bosoms, when our fathers
and our mothers taught us to venerate — to love the name of La Fayette. I
have seen and I have felt the tear standing in the eye of childhood, when
the tale has been told of your youthful disinterestedness, in devoting your
fortune, your life, and your honor to the cause of our country, and of your
sufferings and wrongs, and of your unbending virtues that no sufferings nor
wrongs could subdue.
"When the fires of persecution assailed you, sir, our hearts were taught
to bum with indignation, and to shiver at the name of Olmutz, when its
prison damps were settling on the brow of our hero and friend. God be
thanked, we trust those scenes of sufferings and wrongs and persecutions will
no more be renewed. But on this spirit stirring subject I must not dwell.
In behalf of my beloved fellow-citizens, most cordially do I welcome you,
where, through the influence of our free institutions, which you yourself, sir,
so greatly contributed to rear, the wilderness of yesterday is now blossoming
as the rose. As our country's friend and benefactor, with heartfelt sincerity
and gratitude do I salute you. May that ever gracious Being, by whom we
are thus favored, strew the path of your pilgiimage with his richest blessings,
until, at some far distant day, he may please to receive you to Himself in
glory everlasting."
The General grasped the speaker's hand with great emotion, and replied :
LA FAYETTE IN CHAUTAUQUA. I41
" My Dear Sir : Accept my most sincere thanks for your most affec-
tionate address. Your allusion to my early visit to America, to my services
here and to my sufferings since, are very kind, and, as I must frankly con-
fess, are very gratifying to Aiy feelings. The manner of my reception here,
my very dear sir, in a place so shortly since a wilderness, as you have said,
surprises me as much as it pleases me. Surely, I am very much obliged.
And I beg you, sir, with the committee, who have shown me every kindness,
to accept my grateful acknowledgments."
The General, then turning to the military and ladies and citizens, assem-
bled in front of the bower, addressed them in a warm and animated
style of thankfulness for their attentions, and especially for awaiting his arri-
val to so late an hour. * * * " That the ladies, too," to use his own
affectionate words, "that the ladies, too, should remain up all night to receive
me, surely it is too much."
After several introductions, the ladies were presented to him, to whom he
severally gave his hand, greeting them most affectionately, and giving them
many compliments for these flattering testimonials of their respect to him.
The Revolutionary soldiers were next introduced to him. The scene was
truly interesting. The crowd was so great, that, to afford all an opportunity
to see him, he took a stand on the front of the platform, where the military
and citizens passed in review before him. He then sat down to an entertain-
ment prepared by Mr. Abell with great taste and elegance.
Day began to dawn when he arose from the table ; and the military, again
in advance, escorted him to Dunkirk, where, with the committee and several
military officers from this place, he embarked on board the steam brig Supe-
rior, which, agreeably to an arrangement, was in readiness to receive him on
board and convey him to Buffalo. As the yawl was gliding along, a salute of
twenty-four guns was fired from the steamboat in quick succession, which was
followed by another salute of twenty-four gims from the artillery on shore, in
a handsome style.
Too much praise can not be bestowed upon the military and band of
music belonging to Col. Abell's regiment — ^all under the command of Col.
Smith, the marshal of the day — who turned out on so short a notice ; and,
notwithstanding their fatigue and exhaustion, patiently and soldier-like kept
on the ground, not only all day but all night, to welcome the " Guest of the
Nation." It was a pleasure to see Major-General Risley, with a part of his
staff, and Brigadier-General Barker, contributing, as on all similar occasions,
greatly to the fine appearance of the military. The entertainment and prep-
arations made by Mr. Abell were splendid, and got up in a style worthy the
reception of so distinguished a guest.
The platform erected in front of the house, set round with green trees
planted in the ground, overhung with lamps and chandeliers, with an arch in
front, all beautifully dressed off by the fine taste and decorations of our
ladies, had an effect at that late hour of the night, and amid the illumina-
tions of the village, bordering on enchantment. And to crown the imposing
scene, the eloquent, spirit-stirring address delivered by the Rev. Mr. Brown,
142 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
in a manner preeminently calculated to awaken the ardor of the patriot's
bosom, had an effect which we are unable adequately to describe. Every
eye gazed intently, now at the General and now at the orator, with thrilling
delight. The reply of the General was warm and affectionate, and showed
that the patriotic flame which burst forth so brilliantly and burned so efful-
gently in the Revolutionary struggle, had not ceased to glow in his devoted
bosom at this late period of his life.
The procession accompanying the General from this place to Dunkirk,
consisting of the military, and ladies and citizens in carriages and on horse-
back, extended very nearly a mile. We were highly gratified with the hand-
some manner of his reception by the Buffalo committee on the pier at
Dunkirk. The steam brig lay off a mile from shore, and presented a fine
appearance. Her salute was in a style that would have been creditable to a
ship of war ; and with the advantage of an echo from our forests, rolling
back its reverberations on the ears of thousands of spectators, we scarcely
recollect anything equal to it.
The morning was clear and tranquil, and everything in Nature seemed to
have been carefully arranged for the purpose of contributing to the interest
of the occasion.
TEMPERANCE HISTORY.
Drinking Customs.
The use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage by all classes of the commu-
nity, and the direful consequences of its use, prevailed throughout the coun-
try. Although the evils of intemperance are still lamentably prevalent, a
material change in the custom of drinking has been wrought. Good men
and bad indulged in it. The whisky jug was thought an indispensable help
in the harvest field, and was ever present at house-raisings, log-rollings, and
corn-huskings ; nor was the decanter with its exhilarating contents usually
wanting at social gatherings. A man meeting a friend near a tavern, invited
him to the bar to " take a drink." A man was deemed wanting in hospitality
if he did not " treat" his visitors. A traveler stopping at a tavern to warm
himself, thought it " mean " to leave without patronizing the bar to the
amount of a sixpence or a shilling. ' The idea had not been conceived, that
both parties would have been gainers if the money had been paid for the
fire, and the liquor left in the decanter. Liquor bought by the gallon, and
even by the barrel, was kept in families for daily use. Seated at the break-
fast table, the glass was passed round to " give an appetite." Bittered with
some herb or drug, it was used as a " sovereign remedy " for many of the ail-
ments " flesh is heir to," and often as a preventive. It was taken because
the weather was hot, and because it was cold. Liquors being kept in coun-
try stores, some merchants were wont to treat their customers, especially
TEMPERANCE HISTORY. 143
when they made large bills, and sometimes beforehand, to sharpen their
appetite for trading. Happily most of these customs have become obsolete
among the better classes of society, and, it is hoped, never to be revived..
In nearly every town was a distillery — in some towns a number — where
fanners exchanged their rye and com for whisky, which was a common arti-
cle of traffic. Merchants exchanged for it the grain received from their cus-
tomers, and, after supplying the demand at home, sent the surplus to the
eastern markets, after the opening of the Erie canal. Having reached its
destination, a large portion of it was, by some mystic process, suddenly con-
verted into another article, and, under a different name, bought, perhaps, by
the same country merchants, to supply their customers with " a pure brandy
for medicinal purposes.''
That drunkenness, and its natural concomitants — poverty, crime, and pre-
mature death — were the result of the practices we have mentioned, is not
surprising. The marvel is, that the opinions and habits so long prevalent,
should have had the sanction of good men. The evils of intemperance be-
came at length intolerable, and remedial measures began to be suggested and
discussed.
Further evidence of the general prevalence of liquors as a beverage among
all cla.sses, is found in the by-laws adopted by the grand jury of Chautauqua
county, in June, 1827 — a body of men whose duty it was to indict men for
crimes, the most of which were committed under the influence of the bever-
age which was the principal cause of crime, and to the popular use of which
these inquisitors of crime contributed the weight of their example. The
subject of by-laws was referred to a committee who reported seven rules, the
first two of which were as follows :
" I. That the foreman of the jury pay one bottle of brandy for the honor
of his seat. 2. That the secretary also pay one bottle."
The other rules imposed fines of 12)^ cents for the violation of certain
rules of etiquette, or non-observance of some prescribed formality. And it
is quite probable that these fines were expended in intoxicating drinks.
A noticeable specimen of the use and cost of liquor is found in a tavern
bar-book of Jacob Fenton in Jamestown, in 1817. A glance over its pages
will convince any person of the mistake of those who think that more liquor
is drunk now than there was before the organization of temperance societies.
On page 19, G. G. is charged with 3 half pints whisky, at three different
times, at 25 cents each, making 75 cents, and supper and lodging, 44 cents.
Total, $1.19. N. L. is charged 3 milk punches, 25 cents each. E. W. is
credited on account $2.05, to apply on tavern bills contracted, it is presumed,
at the above rates. H. B., i gill whisky, 13c. W. M., 2 gills whisky, 25c.
A Mr. J. M. buys, in one day, 5 gills at i2}4c. each. On the next page
are charged 11 gills at i2j^c. each, and 2 breakfasts at 37c.; 2 lodgings at
7c., and a supper, 2sc. Total, $2.44. This man probably had a wife and
children in town. On another page are 7 half pints whisky at iz^c, and
I qt. porter, 25c., charged in succession, no charge against another person
144 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
intervening. Here are seen the names of well known business men scat-
tered through the book. It is readily seen that, in proportion to the capital
employed, tavern-keeping must have been the most lucrative business at that
time carried on ; provided, however, that there were no " bad debts." A
citizen is charged for i gallon and i qt. $2.50 ; from which it appears that
" landlord " Fenton sold for the same price, pro rata, by wholesale and
retail.
Temperance Reform Measures.
Where, or how, or when the temperance reform originated, is, perhaps, not
now known. The first temperance document the writer recollects, was an ad-
dress by Mr. Kittridge, of New Hampshire, which, if it did not start the reform,
gave it a powerful impetus ; and the name of the pamphlet, " Kittridge's Ad-
dress," became, in some parts of the country, as familiar as a household word.
This was soon followed [in 1826] by "Six Sermons on Intemperance," by Rev.
Lyman Beecher, of Boston, which also rendered the cause essential service.
A portion of the newspaper press soon came to its support. Meetings were
held in all parts of the country. The pledge of abstinence was circulated,
and was signed by a large number of both sexes, among whom were many
intemperate persons. Although many of these relapsed, some were effect-
ually reclaimed.
For a number of years only spirituous liquors were interdicted by the
pledge. Complete success, it was believed, required abstinence from intox-
icating liquors of all kinds ; and the societies soon adopted the principle of
total abstinence.
When and where the first temperaiue society was formed, perhaps no person
knows. The Chautauqua County Temperance Society, auxiliary to the state
society, was organized in 1829. Pursuant to previous notice, the friends of
temperance met at the court-house for the purpose of forming a society. In
a county containing 31,000 inhabitants, only fifteen met for that purpose.
The number being so small, they repaired to the law office of Anselm Potter,
and organized by choosing Elial T. Foote, president, and Harvey Newcomb,
secretary. Among the number assembled were Abner Hazeltine, Hiram
Couch, and Thomas W. Harvey. This organization, though small in its
beginning, soon became a respectable and efficient society, sustained by
auxiliaries in the several towns.
Like other reformatory movements, the temperance cause had both open
and negative opponents. Among the latter were respectable men. Some of
them drank temperately; others, perhaps not at all, but would "not sign
away their liberty," and manifested their professed regard for their unfortunate
fellow-men by a " masterly inactivity." In their view, it was well enough for
drunkards, and those Ukely to become such, to take the pledge ; but for the
temperate it was not necessary. Among these were at first many members
of religious societies, whose example furnished the intemperate and the .occa-
sional drunkard with the most effective shield against the arguments and
TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES. I4S
entreaties of the friends of the cause. Happily, many of these, convinced
of the adverse influence of their example, abandoned their position, and took
an active part in the reformation.
About the year 1840, a fresh impulse was given to the temperance cause
by the efforts of men called Washingtonians. A number of abandoned men
in the city of Baltimore, who had been wont to spehd their evenings at the
taverns and other haunts of the vicious and dissipated, resolved to reform,
and at once became " teetotalers." They traversed a larg€ portion of the
country, lecturing to large gatherings. Drunkards in large numbers and from
great distances attended ; and many of them signed the pledge. The most
noted of this band of reformers was John Hawkins, who, though unlettered,
was one of the most effective lecturers in the country. Although there was
nothing in their principles or mode of operation to distinguish them from
other temperance men, they took the name of " Washingtonians." Their
efforts resulted in the reformation of many drunkards, who became mission-
aries, and constituted, for a time, the principal lecturing force of the country.
It must be confessed, however, that the benefits of this " temperance revi-
val" which many anticipated, were not fully realized. These reformers came
to be regarded by many as almost the only efficient champions of the cause,
while its earliest and ablest advocates were lightly esteemed. Hence these
were chiefly superseded as lecturers, by reformed inebriates, many of whom,
though for the time abstaining from the use of intoxicating drinks, were far
from having attained the character of the true reformer. Often was the pul-
pit surrendered, on the sabbath, to men whose mirth-provoking stories were
wholly unbecoming the place and the occasion. It is not strange that some
who, under such influences, signed the pledge, soon relapsed into their former
habits. Still, much good was accomplished. Probably about this time, and
for several years thereafter, less ardent spirits were drank in proportion to our
population, than at any other time since distilleries were first established.
The Washingtonian movement was succeeded by other organizations.
Among the earliest of them was that of the Sons of Temperance, which was for
several years a popular order of temperance men. But it seems to have been,
to a considerable extent, superseded by the Good Templars, who have organ-
izations in most of the towns. These two orders are both secret. Whether
their efficiency is increased by this feature in their organization, or not, it is
not easy to determine.
As incidental to the efforts for the promotion of the temperance reforma-
tion, came the license question. Notwithstanding the marked progress of the
cause by the simple instrumentality of the pledge, many, with a view to its
more rapid advancement, began to mvoke the aid of legislation by the
enactment of prohibUory laws. Without questioning the propriety of these
laws, it may be said, with truth, that in proportion as the friends of the cause
relied on legislation to accomplish the desired reform, their labors in the use
of the pledge were relaxed. The effect of this relaxation of effort was a
retrogression of the cause.
146 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
A stringent prohibitory law was passed in Maine. Well authenticated
official statements soon showed a reduction, in some districts, of more than
three-fourths of the expense of pauperism and crime. A similar law was tried
in one or more other states, and with similar results, for short periods of
time. But the strong opposition which these laws have encountered has
greatly impaired their efficiency, or effected their repeal. Hence many of
the friends of temperance advise a return to the old tried and effectual
method of promoting the cause, not as a substitute for legislation, but as a
means of reclaiming inebriates, and of preparing public sentiment to sustain
prohibitory laws if any should be enacted.
Many different laws for checking the evils of intemperance have been
enacted in many of the states. In communities in which these laws have
been enforced, they have had a salutary effect. But they are generally little
more than a dead letter on the statute book. The evil to be remedied is
firmly rooted; and its eradication, or even its material mitigation, requires
unwearied, persevering effort on the part of the friends of temperance.
Although intemperance may be measurably checked by legislation, more
may be done hy prevention. Let the young be trained in the principles of
Christian morality, and be early pledged to total abstinence from all intoxi-
cating drinks, and a marked improvement in the state of society will soon
appear.
ANTISLAVERY HISTORY.
In 1829, Wm. Lloyd Garrison became joint-editor of the Genius of Uni-
versal Emancipation, an antislavery journal, published in Baltimore, pre-
viously established, it is believed, by Benjamin Lundy. It had advocated
the gradual abolition of slavery; but Mr. Garrison distinctly avowed the
doctrine that immediate emancipation was the right of the slave, and the
duty of the master. Having, soon after, denounced certain persons engaged
in the domestic slave-trade, which he stigmatized as " domestic piracy," he
was tried and convicted for a libel. Unable to pay the penalty, he was sent
to prison. After a few weeks' confinement, a friend paid the fine, and
released him. He went to Boston, where, on the ist of January, 1831, he
issued the first number of the Liberator. Other papers soon followed in
advocating immediate abolition of slavery ; and antislavery societies began to
be formed. The American Antislavery Society was formed in 1833.
The abolitionists believed with their opponents, that slavery in the states
could only be abolished by their respective governments. Their chief object
was, by the discussion of the subject, in all its bearings, social, moral, and
political, to convince slaveholders that it was their duty, and that it would be
for their interest, to aboUsh slavery. They hoped also, that a general expres-
sion of northern sentiment against the institution as morally wrong, might
ANTISLAVERY HISTORY. 147
serve to hasten action on the part of the slave states. And as the power of
Congress to abohsh slavery in the District of Columbia and the territories of
the United States, was generally admitted in the North, petitions in vast
numbers, praying for the exercise of this power, were sent to Congress from
all the free states. Town and county societies were formed throughout the
North. This movement alarmed as well as exasperated the southern people ;
and the excitement soon became general. In the North as well as in the
South, meetings were held, and resolutions passed, bitterly denouncing the
abolitionists. Antislavery meetings in many places were broken up by
violence, and several antislavery presses were demolished.
These acts of violence were not always the work of men of the "baser
sort," but were, in many instances, not only instigated hnt perpetrated by men
of high standing. The men who, in Utica, in 1835, entered a church in
which the delegates of the New York State Antislavery Society were assem-
bled, and actually dispersed the occupants of the house by force, were promi-
nent professional men and other men of high official and social position. A
respectable minister, a resident of the city, was violently thrown upon the
floor, his own son, a lawyer, being one of the participators in the shameful
affray. The governor of the state, in 1836, took part in a meeting in Albany,
by which the most denunciatory resolutions against the abolitionists were
passed, and the deepest sympathy was expressed for their "southern
brethren." .
An antislavery convention had assembled in a court-house in Western
New York. A committee of fifty, embracing nearly every man of fair social
position in the village, having been appointed for the purpose at a public
meeting, entered the court-house, and read the resolutions adopted at that
meeting, disapproving the views of the abolitionists, and advising the con-
vention to disperse, intimating that they might not be permitted to proceed
peaceably in their deliberations. In the gallery were seated about twenty
ruffians, who, on signals given by two lawyers and an editor standing below
and facing the gallery, would, by hissing, stamping, and other noises, inter-
rupt the proceedings of the convention. After several fruitless attempts to
proceed to the transaction of business, the meeting was adjourned to a future
day, and to another part of the county.
Many now will wonder that the discussion of an evil of such magnitude,
should not be allowed in a country whose constitution guaranties the right
oi freedom of speech, even when the subject is liberty itself. It is, however,
proper to state, that much of this opposition to the antislavery effort arose,
not firom a regard for slavery, but from a misapprehension of the aims of the
abolitionists. [For political action on the slavery question, see Political
History.]
A majority of Congress being opposed to the objects of the abolitionists,
who continued to send in their petitions for the abolition of slavery in the
District of Columbia, and for prohibiting the slave trade between the states,
the house resolved that such petitions should, on presentation, be laid on the
148 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
table without being debated, printed, or referred. This action of the house
rather increased than allayed agitation ; and petitions were daily offered as
usual^some for the repeal of the " gag resolutions," as they were called.
But as yet there was no political antislavery party. The abolitionists,
however, began to vote for candidates in favor of their views without respect
to party. The subject of a political organization was soon after agitated ;
and in November, 1839, at a small meeting of abolitionists in Western New
York, James G. Birney, formerly a slaveholder in Alabama, who had eman-
cipated his slaves and removed to the North, was nominated for president.
This party never became numerous. A large majority of the abolitionists
refused to join it, believing their object was more likely to be effected by
adhering to the original plan of the societies.
MEDICAL SOCIETIES.
Chautauqua County Medical Society.
This society was formed in June, 18 18, in court week. Pursuant to pre-
vious public notice, a number of physicians and surgeons met at the hall of
Gen. John McMahan, in Mayville. Dr. E. T. Foote was chosen chairman of
the meeting, and Dr. Fenn Deming, secretary. Officers of the society were
elected as follows: President, Elial T. Foote. Vice-President, Samuel Snow.
Secretary, Treasurer, and Librarian, Fenn Deming. Censors, Orris Crosby,
John P. M. Whaley, Henry Sargent. The -last three named were also ap-
pointed as a committee to prepare a code of by-laws for the society, to be
presented at the next meeting ; and Dr. Foote was appointed a delegate to
the state society. At the meeting in June, 1819, Dr. Sargent presented a
code of by-laws prepared by himself, which were adopted. Dr. Jediah
Prendergast was chosen president for the ensuing year ; Dr. Squire White,
vice-president; Dr. Ebenezer P. Upham, secretary; Drs. Foote, Crosby,
and Sargent, censors. Dr. Sargent was appointed to deliver an address at
the next annual meeting.
Eclectic Medical Society.
The first "Reform Medical Society" was organized in Fredonia, in 1844,
Dr. J. R. "Qvish, president, and M. Hobart, secretary. Under the auspices of
this society, a course of lectures was given in Fredonia by Prof. Hill, of
Cincinnati, commencing June, 1847. About twenty students were in attend-
ance. The last meeting of the society of which a record is obtained, was
held at Jamestown, in September, 1850. The Eclectic Medical Association of
Chautauqua County was organized in September, 1856, Dr. O. C. Payne,
president; A. P. Parsons, M. D., secretary. During nine years, this associa-
tion held thirty meetings for the transaction of business, and received thirty-
five members. Their names are as follows :
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 1 4c
O. C. Payne, A. P. Parsons, H. C. Taylor, Joseph Carpenter, John
Clough, A. Landers, E. H. Thatcher, J. B. Chace, Ezra Mills, Daniel
Briggs, W. L. Wilbur, David Bradford, Joseph Whitaker, A. S. Davis, Simon
Bart-is, I. J. Bowen, John Devoe, Joseph Button, Ezra Martin, S. Monroe,
Z. Kilboum, A. D. Brooks, S. Logan, C. C. Rugg, C. C. Johnson, G. H.
Bowen, G. L. Whitford, B. Hubbard, A. Jackson, Wm. Bourne, Orrin Gar-
field, E. Clark, N. F. Marble, S. Brown.
At a meeting held at Dunkirk, September 15, 1865, a new constitution
was adopted, in compliance with a request of the state society; and to
become auxiliary thereto, the name was changed from Association to Soci-
ety, and is now known as the Eclectic Medical Society of the 32d Senatorial
District. The officers chosen were : H. C. Taylor, M. D., president ; A. P.
Parsons, M. D., vice-president; M. M. Fenner, M. D., secretary ; G. L.
Whitford, treasurer. The foUomng are the names of members: G. H.
Bowen, A. S. Davis, N. F. Marsh, C. C. Rugg, C. C. Johnson, J. B. Chace,
A. D. Brooks, N. F. Marble, D. A. Loomis, G. W. Carpenter, James Fenner,
Phineas Sage, C. W. Babcock, A. Ayers, John Gazley, A. Haynes, J. A. Salis-
bury, C. D. Thompson, A. H. Bowen, J. Lord, S. J. Bowen, Q. A. Hollis-
ter, D. C. Storer, W. L. Wilbur, O. H. Simons, M. C. Belknap, J. Phillips,
A. P. Philhps, A. A. Hubbell, V. A. Ellsworth, A. Jennings, J. J. Lenhart,
J. R. Borland.
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES.
Agriculture received public encouragement in this state during the first
term of Gov. De Witt Clinton. In the Chautauqua Eagle., published by
Robert I. Curtis at Mayville, we find, under date of Jan. 4, 1820, a circular,
signed by ten prominent '' members of the great republican family," residing
in the city of New York. They enumerate a long list of considerations, or
measures of reform, characterizing Mr. Clinton's administration, which they
urge in favor of his reelection. They say :
" Under the administration of De Witt Clinton, a board of agriculture has
been established upon the strength of his special recommendation. This
has laid the foundation of our future agricultural prosperity, and called forth
a noble and salutary emulation in the forty-nine counties of our state. It, in
fact, has given a vast impulse to internal and even national industry, and is
the only board in the twenty-one United States. Twenty thousand dollars
will be hereafter expended annually to encourage the most approved cultiva-
tion of the soil."
The following facts relating to agricultural societies in this coimty are found
in one of a course of lectures by the late Samuel A. Brown, Esq., before the
students of Jamestown academy, in 1843. About the year 1820, an agricul-
tural society was formed at Mayville, and Judge Cushing, a wealthy farmer
of Pomfret, chosen president. This society did but little, and was suffered
ISO HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
soon to expire. On the 12th 6f October, 1836, the citizens met at the court-
house to organize an agricultural society under the statute ; and Jedediah
Tracy, of Mayville, was chosen president, and Wm. Prendergast, 2d, secre-
tary. They adjourned to the 4th of January, 1837. On that day the
Chautauqua County Agricultural Society was organized, and officers chosen.
Wm. Prendergast, 2d, was chosen president ; Henry ■ Baker, of EUicott,
Timothy Judson, of Portland, Thomas B. Campbell, of Westfield, and Elias
Clarke, of EUery, vice-presidents ; E. P. Upham, corresponding secretary ;
Jedediah Tracy, treasurer. The executive committee were Wm. H. Seward,
Thomas B. Campbell, of Westfield, Stephen Prendergast, of Ripley, David
Eaton, of Portland, Seth W. Holmes, of Chautauqua, John Miller, of Har-
mony, Sampson Vincent, of Sherman, Abraham Pier, of Busti, Chauncey
Warren, of Stockton, Jedediah Vorce, of Ellery, and Richard Walker, of
Mina. The design of the society, as expressed in its constitution, was " to
improve agriculture, horticulture, the household arts, and the breeding and
improvement of domestic animals, and also the improvement of farming
utensils, and domestic manufactures."
In many of the counties of this state, besides the county organizations,
there are societies embracing one or more towns. The nature of these
societies is too well understood to need description. That they have been
instrumental in advancing the agricultural interest in the state will hardly be
disputed ; and that practices have been introduced which materially detract
from their usefulness, is extensively believed.
RAILROADS IN CHAUTAUQUA.
New York and Erie Railroad Company.
This company was chartered by the legislature, April 24, 1832. The
first preliminary survey was made the same year by De Witt Clinton, Jr., by
order of the government. The company was authorized to organize when
subscriptions for stock should have been taken to the amount of $1,000,000.
Books were opened in the city of New York and in the counties along the
route of the contemplated road. No subscriptions, or none to any consider-
able amount, were obtained. The commissioners subsequently subscribed
$10,000 each, and Wm. G. Buckner, of New York, subscribed for the
remainder of the million required ; and the company was organized in July,
1833. Eleazar Lord, of New York, was chosen president; Wm. G. Buckner,
treasurer. In 1834, the governor appointed Benj. Wright to survey the
route ; who, assisted by James Seymour and Charles Ellett, began the survey
May 23d, and finished it the same year. In 1835, the company was reor-
ganized, and 40 miles were put under contract. In 1836, an act was passed
authorizing a loan to the company of $3,000,000 on the credit of the state ;
RAILROADS IN CHAUTAUQUA. 15 I
and the comptroller was directed to issue state stock, to that amount, to aid
in constructing the road. After this sum had been expended, it was found
necessary to suspend the prosecution of the work. In this county, about 14
miles of the road from Dunkirk eastward had been graded, and for about
8 miles toward Mud lake the rails had been laid. The company being
unable to proceed in the construction of the road without further aid, the
state, in 1845, released its lien on the road, and authorized the original
stockholders to surrender two shares of the old stock, and receive one share
of the new.
April 8, 1845, a branch was allowed to be built from Chester to Newburgh,
19 miles. A road was also authorized from about 20 miles west from Pier-
mont, through New Jersey to Jersey City, opposite New York, where nearly
all the freight and passengers of the Erie road, to and from New York, are
landed. To secure to the people of the southern counties of the state the
benefits of the road, the company was originally required to keep the road
all the way within the limits of the state. In 1846, however, in order to
obtain an easier grade, the company was allowed to cross the Delaware
river into Pennsylvania, and run the road a short distance through that state.
For this privilege the road is compelled to pay the state of Pennsylvania,
annually, a bonus of $10,000. The road was opened as follows: From
Piermont to Goshen, Sept. 22, 1841 ; to Middletown, June 7, 1843 ; to Port
Jervis, Jan. 6, 1848; to Binghamton, Dec 28, 1848; to Owego, June i,
1849 j to Elmira, Oct., 1849 ; to Corning, Jan. i, 1859 ; and to Dunkirk,
May 14, 1851. The Newburgh branch was opened, Jan. 8, 1850.
The consummation of the great enterprise, which had been anxiously
awaited through long years of doubt and despondency, was appropriately
followed by a
Celebration at Dunkirk.
This was a joyous occasion, not only to the citizens of this county, but to
thousands in every county in the " southern tier.'' These " sequesterai
counties," as they had long been called, having participated but slightly
in the benefits of the " grand canal," were at length favored with a " road
to market." The day was highly auspicious, and many thousands ' were
attracted by the fame of the expected guests, and the novelty of the antici-
pated spectacle. The village of Dunkirk presented a gay appearance, from
the flags and streamers with which the hotels and private houses were
decorated. On the d^pot were the flags of three nations ; the stars and stripes
gracefully floating above the tri-color of the French republic and the red
cross of St. George.
At about 1 1 o'clock, the Queen City arrived from Buffalo, and soon after,
in succession, the Niagara, the Empire State, the Empire, the Key Stone
State, and the United States steamer Michigan, took positions in the harbor.
Gov. Hunt and suite arrived from Buffalo on one of the boats, and received
his friends at the American hotel. The train from New York, expected at
1.30 P. M., did not arrive until about 4, when the locomotive "Dunkirk"
152 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
came in as a pioneer, followed, soon after, by the long expected "iron horse,"
from New York city, amid the ringing of bells and shouts of thousands. The
train consisted of twelve passenger cars, bearing a long row of banners which
had been presented along the line. Among the guests in the train, were
President Fillmore; Daniel Webster, secretary of state; Wm.' A. Graham,
secretary of the navy ; Nathan K. Hall, postmaster-general ; John J.
Crittenden, attorney -ganeral; Senators Seward and Fish; Daniel S. Dickin-
son ; Ex-Gov. Marcy ; Senator Douglas, of 111. ; Christopher Morgan,
sec. of state of New York, and others.
After the presentation of an- elegant banner by the ladies of Dunkirk to
the president and directors of the road, a procession was formed under the
direction of Noah D. Snow, marshal, and to the music of Dodsworth's New
York Cornet Band, proceeded through the village, and back to the depot,
where refreshments were provided. The president and invited guests, with
the directors of the road, repaired to the Loder house, where a sumptuous
collation was served up. At the conclusion of the repast, President Fillmore,
being introduced to the guests, congratulated them on the completion of the
road, and complimented the president aiKl directors of the road for their
exertions in its behalf He was followed by Mr. Loder, president of the
company, who gave a history of the origin and progress of the road, during
which time the charter had been changed some twelve times. The road,
he said, was 445^ miles in length, the longest ever built under one charter
in the world.
Mr. Crittenden, of Ky., having been called for, said he was surprised at
what had been accompHshed. He had heard something of it, but had pre-
viously had no adequate idea of its extent. The French eagle, said
Napoleon, had flown from spire to spire, till it rested on Notre Dame ; but
he [Mr. C] had been in a car that outdid the French eagle. They had
been flying, not from spire to spire, but from mountain top to mountain top.
The president and directors of the road were benefactors of the state. Our
country was destined to progress. In fifty years, there would be a popula-
tion of 100,000,000. The speaking was continued within the house until a
late hour, by Gov. Hunt, Senators Seward and Dickinson, and others.
Outside the house. President Fillmore was introduced by Hon. Geo. W.
Patterson, to the multitude in front, and briefly addressed them in eulogy of
the road and the occasion. He was followed by Gov. Hunt and Secretary
Graham. They were succeeded by Joseph Hoxie, of New York, or, as
Lieut.-Gov. Patterson remarked, better known as " Joe Hoxie." He chained
the audience for some time by a flow of humor ; but the cry was for Webster,
and no excuse would be taken. Mr. Webster at last appeared, looking
fatigued and care-worn, but spoke at length on the benefit of the work, and
in behalf of the Union. The festivities of the day were closed by a brilliant
display of fireworks, bonfires, etc.,- while the windows of many dwellings
were illuminated. There were probably 15,000 people assembled on the
occasion.
RrVILROADS in CHAUTAUQUA. 1 53
Buffalo & Erie, and other Railroads.
The Buffalo &■> Erie Railroad Company was formed under an act passed
April 14, 1832, with a capital of $650,000. The term of the charter was
fifty years. Four years were allowed the company to commence the work,
and ten to complete it. The route was surveyed and located nearly all the
way to the state line. The stock was taken, but from some disagreement in
regard to the route at certain points, the work was not commenced within
the four years, as required by the act, and the enterprise failed.
The Buffalo <S^• State Line Railroad Company was formed June 6, 1849.
The road was located by way of Fredonia. The route was subsequently
changed by the company's deciding to run it through Dunkirk. The road
was opened from Dunkirk to the state line January i, 1852, and to Buffalo
February 22, following. The company purchased the Erie & North-east
Railroad, under the act of April 13, 1857, and operated the united roads
under the name of the Buffalo &• Erie Railroad. The three railroads be-
tween Erie and Chicago, owned by three different companies prior to May,
1869, were then consolidated under the name of Lake Shore &• Michigan
Southern Railroad. In August following, this road and the Buffalo & Erie
road were consolidated, without a change of the former name.
A company for the construction of a railroad from Portland Harbor
\Barcelona\ to Mayville, was formed under an act of the legislature, passed
March 29, 1832. The capital stock was to be $150,000, and the term of
charter fifty years ; eight years to be allowed for its construction. It is need-
less to say the project was never carried into effect.
The Fredonia is' Van Buren Railroad Company was formed May 21, 1836,
with a capital of $12,000. This was at the time when the projected city of
Van Buren [elsewhere noticed] had just made its appearance on paper — the
epoch still frequently designated in this section of the state as the time of
the " Buffalo land speculation," but which extended to all parts of the coun-
tr}'. [See Van Buren, in History of Dunkirk.] The people of Fredonia,
having no hope of securing an early connection with a railroad in any other
way, and anticipating the selection of this place for the terminus of the New
York & Erie road, sought cpnnection with the lake and railroad trade by this
short road. But the " crisis " which succeeded the fictitious prosperity of the
years 1835 and 1836 having crushed the prospective city, and the western
terminus of the N. Y. & E. R. R. having been fixed at Dunkirk, the project
was abandoned.
The Atlantic & Great Western Railway.
This company was formed December 9, 1859. The line was said to extend
from the New York & Erie Railroad at Little Valley to the south line of
Chautauqua county. But it was never intended to be thus restricted. On
the completion of the road westward to Jamestown, the Journal Extra, of
August 25, i860, said:
" This great enterprise, which has for a decade of years absorbed the
154 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
interests of capitalists and commercial men, as well as the business public,
both east and west, and which, in its vastness of design, unites the valley of
the Mississippi (and ultimately the Pacific slope) to the great emporium of the
Atlantic shore, has reached a stage of its completion that assures its speedy
and indisputable success. Its line traverses the very garden of the states,
the central region through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, so well known
to producers and buyers as the great market ground between the lakes and
the Gulf states."
On the 6th of April, negotiations between the companies of the Erie &
New York City Railroad and the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad were
completed ; the latter company adopting 38 miles of the Erie & New York
City Railroad line. About the ist of May, the contractors and engineer
corps commenced operations at the junction with the New York & Erie
Railroad near Little Valley. On the 3d of July, the iron was laid down to
Randolph, r6 miles from the junction. On the 25th of August, i860, the
first train of cars arrived at Jamestown, a distance of 33 miles ; the achieve-
ment of the result being ascribed in great part to " the vigor of the English
engineer, [Thomas W. Kennard,] the coolness and energy of his American
associate, J. Hill, Jr., and the urging of the work by the able contractors,
Messrs. Doolittle and Streator. On the occasion of the laying of the rails of
the road into the village of Jamestown, a complimentary dinner was given to
Mr. Kennard at the Jamestown House, where a large company of invited
guests sat down to a sumptuously furnished table. Col. Augustus F. Allen
presided on the occasion, which, judging from the published proceedings,
was one of deep interest to the people in a part of the country until then
remote firom canal or railroad.
The Buffalo &• Oil Creek Cross Cut Railroad was chartered in 1865. Its
name was subsequently changed to Buffalo, Corry &•• Pittsbu^h Railroad.
It connects Corry, in Pennsylvania, with Brocton in this county, where it
joins the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern road. Its length is 43.20 miles.
The portion Ijdng inlhis state is 37.20 miles, and terminates at the state line,
which there forms the south line of Clymer, on lot 49. The company con-
structing from this point to Corry, was chartered by the legislature of Penn-
sylvania, and the two were consoUdated April 24j 1867.
Dunkirk, Allegany Valley & Pittsburgh Railroad.
A meeting was held in the summer of 1866 by the citizens of Sinclairville,
at which Hon. C. J. Allen presided, to consider the practicability of con-
structing a railroad from Dunkirk to Warren, Pa., by the way of the Cassadaga
and Connewango valleys. Other meetings were afterwards held in the same
year at Sinclairville, Dunkirk, and Fredonia, at which preliminary steps were
taken for the organization of a company to build the road. Subscriptions
were also made to its capital stock, in anticipation of the organization of such
company, by the citizens along the route of the proposed road. During the suc-
ceeding winter, the company was organized under the name of the Dunkirk,
Warren & Pittsburgh Railroad Company. The officers first chosen were
POLITICAL HISTORY. ISS
'I'imothy D. Copp, president; George Barker, vice-president; S. M. Newton,
chief engineer ; T. R. Coleman, treasurer ; and James Van Buren, secretary ;
S. M. Newton, Wm. Bookstaver, Walter Finkle, and Lee L. Hyde, of Dun-
kirk ; George Barker and Thomas Higgins, of Fredonia ; Ebenezer Moore,
of Stockton ; T. D. Copp and Alonzo Langworthy, of Sinclairville ; B. F.
Dennison, of Gerry ; Patrick Falconer, of Ellicott ; and Edwin Eaton and
Wm. H. H. Fenton, of Carroll, directors. April 23, 1867, an act was passed by
the legislature of New York, authorizing the towns in this county to subscribe
to the capital stock. June 17, 1867, the first work on the road was done.
A party consisting of Obed Edson, compassman, Thomas Glissan, George
Blackham, Stephen H. Allen, Walter Hyde, and Charles Higgins, under the
direction of the chief engineer, commenced the preliminary survey at the
north end of Cassadaga lake, and completed this survey from Dunkirk to the
Pennsylvania line during that year.
The original contract for the construction of the road was made with
T. M. Simpson and J. Condit Smith ; and grading was commenced in Ellicott,
at Ross's mills, October 3, 1867. In December, 1867, supervisors of towns
issued bonds and subscribed for stock for their respective towns, as fol-
lows : George D. Hinkley, of Pomfret, $50,000 ; Obed Edson, of Charlotte,
and B. F. Dennison, of Gerry, each $34,000 ; John S. Beggs, of Dunkirk,
$100,000 ; and Wm. H. H. Fenton, of Carroll, $20,000. This substantially
constituted the capital stock on which the road was built. In 1868, 1869
and 1870, the road was graded. In 1870, the track was laid to a point a lit-
tle south of Laona ; June i, 1871, to Sinclairville ; June 17, to Worksburg ;
to which place the first passenger train passed over the road, June 22, 187 1.
The road was afterwards completed to Warren, and continued to Titusville.
The Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad ^zs, chartered in' 1872. It passes
through the towns of Hamburgh, Eden, and Collins, in Erie county ; Persia
and Dayton, in Cattaraugus county ; Cherry Creek and Ellington, in Chau-
tauqua county ; Randolph, in Cattaraugus ; Poland and Ellicott, in Chautau-
qua county.
POLITICAL HISTORY.
Early Parties.
Ever since the organization of the government under the constitution,
there have been two great national political parties in this country. The first
had their origin in the convention which firamed the constitution of the United
States. Prior to the formation of the present government, national affairs
were conducted under the articles of confederation, which were adopted during
the Revolutionary war. This confederation was a mere league between thir-
teen sovereign and independent states. This league was formed for the more
effectual resistance to the power of Great Britain in the struggle for American
156 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
independence. It was hardly entitled to be called a government. It had
neither a legislature, an executive, nor a judiciary. There was what was
sometimes called a legislature — the Congress — consisting of delegates from
the several states, sitting in a single body. It could pass no law that was
binding upon the states or individuals.
In this Congress all the states were equal. In the decision of all ques-
tions, each state had but one vote ; and that vote was determined by the major-
ity of its delegates. Each state, large or small, was entitled to an equal
number of delegates, not exceeding seven ; but its vote was not counted
unless at least two of its delegates were present and voting. Also, if its
delegates were equally divided upon a question, it had no vote.
The weakness of the confederation appeared during the war. Congress
could not compel a state to raise men or money to carry on the war. Its
business was to pass ordi7iaJices, so called, assigning to the states their respect-
ive quotas of men and money to be raised ; but it could not enforce its
requisitions. Generally, however, they were obeyed, all the states being
united to avert a common danger. But after the war was over, the states
did not long continue in harmony. Laws were enacted in some states giving
their own citizens undue advantages over the citizens of other states ; and
mutual jealousies and animosities soon arose which threatened to break up
the Union.
It was now evident that, to preserve the union of the states, a government
possessing more extensive powers was necessary ; a government that could,
in all needful cases, control the action of the state governments. Under the
confederation, Congress had no power to lay and collect taxes. It borrowed
money to carry on the war ; but, as the power of taxation was in the states
alone, Congress was wholly dependent on the states, which were not always
ready and willing to comply with its requisitions.
But what originated the movement for a constitutional convention, was the
want of power to lay duties to protect American labor. Other countries,
especially Great Britain, where manufactures had become firmly established,
were flooding this country with their fabrics, and were draining it of its specie,
and impoverishing our people. Great Britain had built up her manufac-
turing interest by high duties upon foreign goods ; and our Congress had not
the power thus to protect capital and labor by countervailing duties. The
states had the power, but they would not agree upon a uniform system of
duties ; and without uniformity the object could not be accomplished. Mr.
Madison and other eminent statesmen, after several unsuccessful attempts
to have the evil remedied by the action of the state legislatures, requested
Congress to call a convention of commissioners from all the states, to alter
the articles of confederation so as to confer upon Congress this needed power,
and to make such other alterations '' as the exigencies of the Union might
require."
The request for the calling of a convention by Congress was granted ; and
the delegates met at Philadelphia on the second Monday of May, 1787.
POLITICAL HISTORY. 1 57
There was soon found a wide difference of opinion among the members
respecting the plan of government to be formed. Some wished to retain the
existing plan with a slight enlargement of the powers of Congress. Others,
instead of a simple confederation of equal and independent states, desired a
complete national government, with a legislative, an executive, and a judicial
department — a government that could enforce its laws upon states and indi-
viduals. A resolution in favor of such a government was introduced. It
was the occasion of a long, earnest, and, at times, angry debate, which came
near breaking up the convention. But the friends of a national government
prevailed ; and a plan, of which Mr. Madison was the reputed author, was
introduced as the basis of action, and was called the " Virginia plan." Mr.
Patterson, of New Jersey, presented a plan in accordance with the views of
the friends of the confederation. This was called the " New Jersey plan."
The convention had not proceeded far in its labors, when some members of
the defeated party left the convention and returned to their homes. The
delegates from the state of New York were Alexander Hamilton, Robert
Yates, and John Lansing, Jr., the last two of whom were among the depart-
ing members. Mr. Hamilton being the only remaining delegate from this
state, New York had no longer a vote in the convention, as the presence of
at least two members was necessary to entitle a state to a vote.
We have now come to the origin of the first two political parties : one in
favor of a imion of sovereign, independent states ; or, as it has sometimes been
called, a union of states as states ; the other, in favor of what is called in the
preamble to the constitution, " a more perfect union " — a union of " the people
of the United States'' It is proper to here correct a prevailing error. It
is generally supposed that, from the beginning, those who were in favor of
the constitution, were called federalists. This is a mistake. Those who, in
the convention, advocated the continuance of the confederation, were, as the
word itself ira'pon^, federalists, and were distinguished by that name to the
close of the convention, and for some time afterwards ; and the friends of the
constitution were termed anti federalists. But while the constitution was be-
fore the people for ratification, its friends came to be called federalists. Al-
though the contemplated government was national, it was also still in some
sense, or to some extent, a confederacy. And as the articles of confederation
were too weak to preserve the union, the anti-federalists, believing the only
way to perpetuate the confederacy or federal union, was to adopt the consti-
tution, took the name of federalists. And by this name they and their fol-
lowers and successors were called until the party disbanded, soon after the
first election of President Monroe.
Among the earliest federalists whose names are familiar to the American
people, were George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Alexander
Hamilton, John Jay, John Marshall, and others. Mr. Madison, however,
soon after the new government went into effect, joined the opposite party,
though not on account of any change of views in relation to the constitution.
Notwithstanding this early division of sentiment Gen. Washington was
158 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
unanimously chosen president by the presidential electors ; and although the
leading measures of his administration were opposed from its commence-
ment, there seems to have been for several years no organized opposition
party. His second election, like the first, was unanimous.
The earliest measures of his administration which received material oppo-
sition were his financial measures. One of these was the funding of the
public debt, including the debts of the states contracted during the war.
Another was the incorporation of a national bank, in 1791. His foreign
policy also encountered much opposition. France was in the midst of a
revolution. In the war of Europe, then existing, Great Britain and France
were the principal belligerents. Some of our people were in favor of taking
part with France against Great Britain ; but Washington, though friendly to
France, determined to maintain a strict neutrality. The opponents of the
federalists at length took the name of the republican party, and obtained con-
trol of the government after the expiration of the presidential term of John
Adams, having elected their leader, Thomas Jefferson, over Mr. Adams, who
was a candidate for reelection.
These were the two national parties when the settlement of this county
commenced. Thomas Jefferson had taken his seat in the presidential chair,
March 4, 1801, for whom not a vote had been cast within the bounds of the
present county of Chautauqua ; the electors by whom he was chosen hav-
ing been elected in the fall of 1800. Probably there was not a vote given
for his reelection in 1804, by any settler within these bounds. The town of
Chautauqua had been formed by the legislature of that year, but no election
was held in it until 1805. This town was then a part of Genesee county :
and it is not likely that any one of the few settlers then here made a journey
of eighty or ninety miles to vote. Besides, there was not among them one
who had the required qualifications of property and term of residence to
vote for president, if the election had been at his own door.
One of the causes — perhaps the principal cause — of the unpopularity and
decline of the federal party, was the passage of two acts during Mr. Adams'
administration, called the alien and sedition laws. The alien law, entitled,
" An act concerning aliens,'' authorized the president to order out of the
country any alien suspected of any treasonable purpose, or deemed danger-
ous to the safety of the country, unless satisfactory proof should be given
that no injury or danger should arise from his residing here. The other law
was entitled, " An act in addition to ' an act for the punishment of certain
crimes against the United States '" ; but it was generally called the "sedi-
tion law." It provided for punishing persons for conspiring to oppose any
measure of the government, or for hindering any public officer in discharging
his duties; also for punishing any person for slandering or libeling the
government, congress, or the president. Although these acts were well-
intentioned, and approved by wise and good men, among whom were Wash-
ington and Patrick Henry, as being necessary to check the influence of
numerous meddlesome foreigners then in the country, who were active in
POLITICAL HISTORY. 1 59
exciting opposition to the administration, and were combined in organized
associations which were considered dangerous to the peace of the United
States ; they were, nevertheless, disapproved by a majority of the people, who
regarded them as infringements upon popular rights, especially upon the
freedom of speech and of the press. Hence, to render the act against sedi-
tion the more odious, its opponents gave it the title of " gig law."
These laws gave rise to the famed " Virginia and Kentucky resolutions of
1798," which were for more than half a century referred to as expressing the
principles of the old republican party. Those passed by the Virginia legis-
lature were drawn up by Mr. Madison, then a member. They declared that
the constitution was a compact, to which the states were parties, granting
limited power? ; that in case of a deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exer-
cise of other powers not granted, it was the right and duty of the states to
interpose for arresting the progress of the evil, and for maintaining the rights
of the states within their respective limits ; and that the alien and sedition
laws were palpable and alarming infractions of the constitution.
The resolutions of the Kentucky legislature were drafted by Mr. Jefferson.
They declared the Union to be "a compact between the states as states ;
that, as parties to this compact have no common judge or superior, each
party has an equal right to judge for itself," of the constitutionality of a law,
" as well as of the mode and measure of redress."
The reader who recollects the action of the convention of the framers of
the constitution, as given on preceding pages, will be surprised at the declar-
ation of sentiments like those expressed in the above resolutions. The idea
of a confederation of states as states was rejected by the convention. Yet,
after the lapse of only ten years, the most eminent statesmen assert that the
Union is a compact between the states as states. Mr. Madison, the head or
leader of the party in favor of a national government to supersede the con-
federation, which was a union of states as states, can hardly be supposed to
have intended to convey the impression that the Union was a compact
between the states as such. He calls it " a compact to which the states are
parties." He may have meant simply, that, in the ratification of the con-
stitution, the people of each state acted separately by state conventions.
The Kentucky resolutions do not admit of so favorable a construction. It
is expressly declared that there is no higher authority than that of a state, to
judge what is a violation or "infraction" of the constitution — thus denying
the right of the supreme court of the United States to decide questions of
constitutionality ; and claiming the right to nullify any act of Congress which
the highest state court shall decide unconstitutional. It must seem strange,
especially to the younger class of our citizens, that doctrines like the above
should ever have been so explicitly asserted, and so extensively accepted.
Yet, for more than thirty years, "the principles of 1798" were regarded as
the test of political orthodoxy; and that man's chance of an election to
an important office was small, indeed, who could not avow his adherence to
the doctrine enunciated in the resolutions above referred to. In the series
lOU hUblUKV Vt UilAUlAUyUA UUUJNTY.
of resolutions adopted by the legislatures of these states, were some that
are unexceptionable. Declaring the opinion that the alien and sedition laws
were unconstitutional was the right of any man or body of men. But a
doctrine that a law is null and void before it has been so pronounced by the
highest judicial authority, is dangerous and disorganizing in its tendency.
The doctrine of 'state sovereignty, to the extent asserted by the Kentucky
resolutions, never received the unanimous assent of republican statesmen.
According to Mr. Madison's own exposition of the constitution, not the
states, as states, but iht people of the several states, were parties to the com-
pact ; and in 1830 he expressly repudiated "nullification as a right remedy."
So also President Jackson, in his proclamation against South Carolina in
December, 1832, denied such right, and maintained the doctrine now held
by American statesmen generally, that, instead of there being 710 common
judge, it is the prerogative of the supreme court of the United States to judge
of the validity of the acts of Congress. If every state might disobey any
law which its authorities should pronounce unconstitutional, no general gov-
ernment could be maintained ; secession would be constitutional.
The transfer of power, however, from the federal to the republican party,
was not followed by any great changes of policy. The alien and sedition
laws were designed only to have a temporary eflfect ; and no act of the new
administration was necessary for their repeal. The alien law expired by its
own limitation, June 25, 1800; the sedition act, on the 4th of March, 1801,
the day of Mr. Jefferson's induction into office.
During our commercial controversy with France and Great Britain, prior
to and during the war between the latter and the United States, the hostility
of the two parties toward each other was probably more marked than at any
other period. The federalists were generally opposed to the declaration of
war, the causes being in their view insufficient to justify a war. The repub-
licans maintained the justice and propriety of the war, and charged their
opponents with hostility to their own country, and sympathy with the enemy.
Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, it will be recollected, were, for
several years from the time of their formation, united, for judicial and other
purposes, with Niagara, which then comprised the present counties of
Niagara and Erie. And after they had become fully organized with the
requisite population, [Chautauqua in 1811,] they formed but one assembly
district until 1822. It will be recollected, too, that until after the adoption
of the constitution of 1821, the general elections for the election of other
than town officers, were held on the last Tuesday in April.
On the 14th of April, 1812, the federalists of this assembly district met at
Buffalo ; and on the next day they nominated for the assembly, Abel M.
Grosvenor, of Buffalo. The committees of the two towns then composing
this county, were the following :
Pom/ret — Jacob Houghton, John ^ E. Howard, Ozias Hart, Orsamus
Holmes, James Hale, Daniel Warren; Samuel Sinclear, Foster Young,
Isaac Barnes.
POLITICAL HISTORY. l6l
Chautauqua — James McMahan, Anselm Potter, Dennis Brackett, Wm.
Berry, Thomas Prendergast, Thomas McClintock.
Having no account of any nominating republican convention, we can
only give the name of the candidate of that party, Jonas Williams, who had
a majority in the district.
In the same year, [1812,] Messrs. Hopkins and Howell, federal candidates
for Congress, received in this county a majority of 47 votes.
On the 3d of November, 1812, a meeting of the "Friends of Liberty,
Peace, and Commerce," as the anti-war men called themselves, held a meet-
ing at David Joy's, in Buffalo. (?) Jacob Houghton, chairman ; Anselm Pot-
ter, secretary. Resolutions were adopted disapproving the administrations
of Jefferson and Madison. A committee of correspondence was appointed,
consisting of Orsamus Holmes, Samuel Sinclear, Anselm Potter, James Mont-
gomery, Jacob Houghton, James McMahan, and Foster Young. The meet-
ing concurred in recommendations previously made in other places, for a
state convention to be held at Albany.
On the 23d of December, 1812, a county meeting of the republicans was
held at John Scott's, in Mayville ; Matthew Prendergast, chairman ;
John Dexter, secretary. Resolutions were adopted declaring the justice of
the war and the purpose to sustain it. Names of delegates, and of the mem-
bers of a committee, if appointed, are not given.
On the 17th of March, 18 13, another county meeting of delegates of the
friends of " Liberty, Peace, and Commerce" was held in Pomfret; Thomas
Martin, chairman ; Isaac Pierce, secretary. Jacob Houghton was nomi-
nated for the assembly. Committees to promote the election :
Chautauqua — Thomas Prendergast, Jabez Hurlbut, Elisha Wallis, James
Montgomery, David Eaton, Asa Hall, Henry Sartwell. Ellkotl — James
Prendergast. Gerry — Samuel Sinclear, Robert W. Seaver, Wm. Devine,
Abm. Windsor. Pomfret — Orsamus Holmes, Elijah Risley, Jr., Ozias Hart,
Isaac Pierce, Thomas Martin, Andrew Bates, Rodolphus Loomis. Hanover
— John E. Howard, John Mack, Bethel Willoughby, Guy Webster, Cushing
Brownell, Abel Flint.
The republicans of the asserftbly district met at St. John's, in Buffalo, pre-
vious to the April election in 1813; David Eddy, chairman; John Root,
secretary. Jonas Williams was nominated for the assembly. Committee in
Chautauqua county :
Pomfret — Zattu Cushing, Philo Orton, Jehiel Moore, Eliphalet Day. Chau-
tauqua— David Eason, Wm. Peacock, M. Prendergast, John E. Marshall,
John Scott.
The majority for Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins in this county was 57 ; for
Jonas Williams, — . It was said many votes were admitted for governor and
senators from persons only holding articles for land ; whereas, by the old con-
stitution, none but freeholders to the 'value of $250, could vote for those
offices.
April 4, 1814, at a republican convention held at Buffalo, Joseph McCluer,.
l62 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
of Cattaraugus Co., was nominated for the assembly. Philetus Swift, of On-
tario Co.; Bennett Bicknell, of Madison Co.; and John J. Prendergast, of
Herkimer Co., were candidates in the western district for the senate. Peter
B. Porter, of Niagara, and Micah Brooks, of Ontario, were candidates for
Congress.
The federalists nominated this year for the assembly, Elijah Holt, of Buf-
falo. This nomination was confirmed at a meeting in this county held in
Pomfret, April nth. Samuel Sinclear, chairman; D. Sterne Houghton,
secretary.
In 1815, the republicans nominated Daniel McCleary, of Buffalo, and
Elias Osborn, of Clarence, for the assembly. The federalists nominated
James Prendergast, of Chautauqua, and Daniel Chapin, of Buffalo. There
was this year a small federal majority in this county. The district was
republican.
Parties in New York..
Next in the order of the birth of parties which divided the people of this
county, were the Bucktaih and the Clintonians. These, however, were not
national parties, but were confined to the state of New York. Hostilities
between the two old parties had ceased, if, indeed, they could be said to
have an existence. The federalists had, by their opposition to the war,
become quite unpopular. Their weakness may be imagined from the presi-
dential election of 1816. Of the presidential electors chosen that year, Mr.
Monroe received 183, and Rufus King, the federal candidate, but 34. Mr.
Monroe received for reelection, 213 of the 214 votes cast by the electors,
there being no longer any federal organization. In April, 1820, about the
time of the election, forty-eight of the leading federalists published a mani-
festo, in which they assigned their reasons for dissolving their connection
with the party, and changing their party relations. Being gentlemen of high
respectability, they were long spoken of as the " forty-eight high-minded.''
Most of them, if not all, joined the bucktails. The rank and file of the
federalists, having been deserted by their leaders, felt at liberty to go where
they pleased. Some of them followed their leaders ; others attached them-
selves to the fortunes of De Witt Clinton.
Mr. Clinton was an early and ardent republican, and a man of great ability ;
and, having taken an early and decided stand in favor of the construction
of the canals, which made him popular, especially in the western part of the
state, he had become the head and leader of a strong party, called Clintoni-
ans. The origin of the name of the other party is not so well known. Hon.
Samuel A. Brown, in a public lecture at Jamestown, in 1843, gave it as
follows :
" In the city of New York, a political party had existed for many years, by
the name of the Tammany Society, so called in honor of a noted Indian
chief. These Tammanies erected Tammany Hall, or the wigwam, as they
sometimes called it This society had its auxiliaries throughout the state ;
and its influence was felt even in Chautauqua. They called their officers by
POLITICAL HISTORY. 1 63
aboriginal names, and on festival days wore the Indian costume, and among
other peculiarities, wore a real buck's fail on the hat."
We have in these local political conflicts a striking illustration of the
mutability of party associations. In 181 2, as has been stated, having been
an unwavering republican, and a thorough-going friend and advocate of a
war with Great Britain, Mr. Clinton was nominated as a candidate for presi-
dent by the republican members of the legislature of this state, under the
leadership of Martin Van Buren, Samuel Young, and others ; now [1820]
we find two parties, composed alike of republicans and federalists, arrayetf
against each other, the one under the lead of Mr. Clinton ; the other under
that of Mr. Van Buren.
Mr. Clinton, who had been elected governor in 1817, without any material
opposition, in the place of Mr. Tompkins, elected vice-president of the
United States, was nominated, in 1820, for reelection; and Mr. Tompkins,
whose official term as vice president was near its close, was nominated by the
bucktails. A spirited contest ensued, which resulted in the election of Mr.
Clinton. He received 47,447 vot|s in the state; Mr. Tompkins, 45,990 —
majority for Clinton, 1,457. In this county, Clinton, 744; Tompkins, 455
— Clinton's majority, 289. The light vote is accounted for by the fact, that
only freeholders were entitled to vote for governor and senators under the
first constitution of the state. Mr. Clinton held the office but two years of
the three years for which he was elected. His term commenced the ist of
January, 1821. A new constitution, made the same year, required the elec-
tion of new officers the next year, when Joseph C. Yates was elected, who
caune into office the ist of January, 1823.
In a review of the manifesto, or address of the " forty-eight high-mipded "
federalists, Mr. Hammond, in his Political History of New York, notices
them substantially thus :
" They affirm that the federal party whose principles they approve, no
longer exists. They approve the administration of the general government ;
affirm that the federalists have now ' no ground of principle,' on which to
stand ; and therefore declare their intention to unite with the great republican
party of the state and Union. They do not object to the character or
measures of Mr. Clinton, but allege that he is attempting to form ' a personal
party.' The absurdity of the address appears from the fact, that Mr. Van
Buren and his friends also approved his measures, and admitted his talents
and virtues, but opposed him solely because t\i& federal party did exist in the
state, and that Mr. Clinton was secretly inclined to favor it ; yet the high-
minded gentlemen opposed him because, as they alleged, the federal party
did not exist; and they joined the party that held the contrary position. * *
The anti-Clintonian party, which now fairly deserved to be called the repub-
Ucan party, succeeded in electing a majority of the members of assembly,
and in two of the senatorial districts ; notwithstanding which, Mr. Clinton
was reelected by a majority of 1,457 votes."
The election of Mr. Clinton, while a majority of the legislature elected
were his political opponents, was ascribed to the misfortune of Mr. Tompkins
in having lost, or having never taken, vouchers for large sums of money
1 64 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
which were disbursed by him while governor, during the war, and for which
he was unable to account. Although it was generally believed he had
appropriated no portion of the money fraudulently to his own use, his in-
ability to account for all the moneys, was turned by his opponents to his
disadvantage. But what probably contributed rqost to Mr. Clinton's own
success, was his able, zealous, and uniform support of the canal policy. This
gained for him a strong vote in the counties most directly interested in the
completion of the canals.
, By the election of Gov. Yates, the party opposed to Gov. Clinton had ob-
tained entire control of the state government, and doubtless anticipated a long
and uninterrupted possession of it. They could, soon after their accession to
power, have had no premonition of the political reverse which awaited them.
The presidential election of 1824 was approaching. The federal party was
defunct ; and there were no questions of national policy to divide the repub-
licans. In the selection of candidates, they were simply divided upon men.
Many were named as candidates \ but the number was diminished to four :
John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William H. Crawford, and Andrew
Jackson. It had been the practice fronf and including the year 1804, for
the republican members of Congress to meet during the last session prior to
the next presidential election, to nominate candidates for president and vice-
president. These congressional caucuses had at length become unpopular
with the party. The meeting in 1824 was held on the 14th of February.
Of the 258 republican members, only 68 attended. Of the votes of these,
William H. Crawford received 64.
The presidential electors were not chosen then as now, in this state, by a
general ticket, and voted for by the people ; but they were chosen by the
legislaftire. Mr. Van Buren was in favor of the election of Mr. Crawford ;
and it was apprehended that he might influence a majority of the members
to vote for electors in favor of Mr. Crawford. To prevent this, a bill was
introduced in the legislatute of 1824, proposing to give to th^ people the right
to choose the electors^ of president and vice-president. And notwithstanding
a large majority of the members of the assembly were republicans, the
" electoral bill " passed that house, and was sent to the senate for concur-
rence, where it was defeated by a vote of 17 to 14. It should be stated,
that the question of changing the mode of choosing the electors was
agitated before the election of the members of the legislature in the fall of
1823; and that a large portion of them were pledged to vote for the pro-
posed change. The republicans who were opposed to Mr. Crawford, to a
congressional caucus, and to Mr. Van Buren and the Albany Regency,
assumed to themselves the name of the " People's Party." [Albany Regency
was a name given to 'the leaders of the democratic party at Albany.]
The defeat of the electoral bill caused such a popular excitement as has
rarely been witnessed in this state. The seventeen senators who voted
against the bill were the particular objects of the displeasure of the friends
of the bill; and to render them as odious as possible, their names were
POLITICAL HISTORY. 1 65
published in the newspapers, and surrounded by heavy black lines. They
were for years spoken of as the " infamous seventeen."
The opposition to the electoral law was one of the acts of the dominant
party which brought upon it the " reverses " before alluded to. Another act
having a similar effect, soon followed. On the last day of the session, and
within about an hour before the time fixed for the adjournment of both
houses, a senator introduced a resolution for the removal of De Witt Clinton
from the office of canal commissioner. The resolution was hurried to its
passage, and received the votes of all the senators except three. It was
forthwith sent to the assembly, where it was passed hastily by a vote of 64
to 34. Mr. Clinton had taken early ground in favor of the canal policy against
a powerful opposition, and had aided in bringing the Erie canal near its com-
pletion, and had served faithfully as commissioner from 18 10, fourteen years,
without any compensation. It was evident that the object was to degrade
him, and to weaken or destroy his political influence. This act caused an
excitement throughout the state more intense than did the defeat of the
electoral law. Public meetings were held in many places, and resolutions
passed denouncing the act in the most severe terms.
The removal of Mr. Clinton had an effect the opposite of that which was
designed. At a state convention of t\\e people's party, in the city of Utica, in
September, 1824, Mr. Clinton was nominated for governor, and James Tall-
madge for lieutenant-governor. Mr. T. was a member of the assembly, and
had ably and zealously supported the electoral bill, but he had voted for the
removal of Mr. Clinton. In November, Mr. Clinton was elected by a
majority of 16,906 over Samuel Young; and Gen. Tallmadge's majority over
Gen. Erastus Root was 32,409. In this county, Mr. Chnton received 1,483
votes; Mr. Young, 1,093 — majority, 390. Nathan Mixer was elected mem-
ber of assembly for this county.
In 1826, Mr. Clinton was renominated for governor, and Henry Hunting-
ton for lieutenant-governor; and in opposition to them were Wm. B. Roches-
ter and Nathaniel Pitcher. In respect to national parties, these candidates
were strangely divided. The four candidates for president, it will be recol-
lected, were all republicans; and, so far as we may judge from the discussion
of their claims respectively during the campaign of 1824, they were not
materially divided on measures of national policy. Almost immediately
after the commencement of Mr. Adams' administration, an organized opposi-
tion to it was formed, by the union of the friends of the defeated candidates,
Crawford and Jackson, and those of Mr. Calhoun, the vice-president Mr.
Clinton was one of the earliest supporters of Gen. Jackson, when Mr. Van
Buren, the leader of the opposition to the Clintonians, was strongly opposed
to him ; the great organ of the party declaring him, " of all the candidates,
the most unfit for the office of president." Yet, in 1826, we see the party
supporting for governor a candidate opposed to Gen. Jackson, on a ticket
with a candidate for lieutenant-governor in favor of Gen. Jackson. Mr.
Clinton was elected by a majority of 3,650 votes over Judge Rochester :
1 66 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
and Mr. Pitcher by a majority of 4,188 over Mr. Huntington. This result,
however, is said to have been owing, in some measure, to Mr. Clinton's
having favored the construction of a state road through the southern coun-
ties, some of which, though anti-Clintonian, gave him majorities. In Chau-
tauqua county, Clinton received 1,839 votes; Rochester, 1,612. February
II, 1828, less than eleven months before the expiration of his term of office,
Mr. Clinton died suddenly, sitting in his chair, of apoplexy ; and Nathaniel
Pitcher became the acting-governor.
In 1828, by the union of the friends of Jackson, Crawford and Calhoun,
Mr. Adams and Gen. Jackson became the only candidates for president. Of
the presidential electors chosen, 178 were in favor of Gen. Jackson, and 83
for Mr. Adams. John C. Calhoun was reelected vice-president, having
received 171 of the electoral votes; Richard Rush, 83 ; and Wm. Smith, of
South Carolina, 7.
After the dissolution of the federal party, there were no two national par-
ties known by distinctive names, until after the election of Mr. Adams.
They were for a time distinguished as the Adams, or administration party,
and Jackson, or opposition party. But the latter soon assumed the name of
the democratic party, which name the organization has borne to the present
time. The Adams party became known as the national republican party.
This name was retained until after the presidential election of 1832, when a
union was formed with the anti-masons, under the name of whigs, and by
which name it was known during the remainder of its existence, which termi-
nated with the formation of the present republican party, in 1855, whose
leading object was to oppose the further extension of slavery.
Anti-Masonic Party.
In the month of September, 1826, an event occurred which sensibly
affected the people of this county in their social, civil, and religious associa-
tions. William Morgan, of Batavia, Genesee county, having written for
publication a work alleged to contain a disclosure of the secrets of free-
masonry, and which was about to be issued from the press of David C.
Miller, in that village, was apprehended on a criminal process, and conveyed
to Canandaigua, Ontario county, where, upon examination before a magistrate,
he was discharged. He was subsequently, the same day, taken for debt ;
judgment was rendered against him ; and he was confined in the county jail.
[Debtors being then liable to imprisonment in case of non-payment of a
judgment.] On the evening of the 12th of September, persons concerned in
his seFzure and confinement, discharged the debt, and caused his liberation.
On leaving the jail, he was forcibly taken, and carried in a close carriage to
the Niagara frontier, where he was last seen ; and, as some alleged, he was
murdered on the night of the 14th of September.
At the next session pf the legislature, petition* relating to the abduction of
Morgan were presented, and referred to a select committee of the assembly ;
and a reward of $1,000 was offered by Gov. Clinton, for the discovery of
POLITICAL HISTORY. 1 67
Moi'gan if alive ; and if murdered, $2,000 for the discovery of the offender or
offenders ; and a free pardon to any accomplice or cooperator who should
make the discovery.
Bills of indictment were found against several persons who had participated
in the abduction ; two of whom were convicted, and sentenced to imprison-
ment in the county jail ; one for two years and four months ; the other, for
one year and three months. The former was the sheriff of Niagara county,
who, as a witness on the trial of the latter, testified that he had been apprised
several days previously of the coming of Morgan, and had been requested to
prepare a cell for him in the Niagara county jail at Lockport. It was proved
that Morgan was conveyed to Lewiston blind-folded in a covered carriage,
which was kept closed. From Lewiston he was taken in another carriage to
the ferry near Fort Niagara. Witness and four others crossed with him into
Canada in the night ; their object being to get him away from Miller into the
interior of Canada, and place him on a farm. The preparation not having
been made for his reception, he was brought back to this side of the river, to
wait a few days, and was put into the magazine of the fort ; since which the
witness had not seen him.
The publication of Morgan's book was followed by that of others, claim-
ing to be true revelations of the secrets of masonry ; and many masons
seceded from the institution, and confirmed the published statements con-
cerning its ceremonies, oaths and obligations, some of which were deemed
inconsistent with their civil duties. Those who believed that members who
held their civil obligations subordinate to their obligations to each other,
considered free-masons unfit to hold office. Those who thus believed, soon
united in the formation and support of a. party on the single principle of oppo-
sition to masonry ; and in 1828, the year of the next gubernatorial election,
an anti-masonic candidate — Solomon Southwick, of Albany — was nominated
for governor. The two national parties then were the national republicans,
supporters of John Quincy Adams and his administration, and the other, the
friends of Andrew Jackson, who were opposed to the party in power, and soon
after took the name of the democratic party. Martin Van Buren, the Jack-
son candidate for governor, received 136,794 votes ; Smith Thompson, the
Adams candidate, 106,444; arid Solomon Southwick, 33,345. The organi-
zation of the anti-masons as a political party may be considered to have been
at this time about complete.
It is believed that, at the time of the abduction of Morgan, no paper in
this county was published by a mason. After the fact of the murder had
become established, all information on the subject deemed authentic was
published. The papers which, in this county, first supported the new politi-
cal organization, were ^e. Jamestown Journal, published by Adolphus Fletcher,
and edited by Abner Hazeltine ; and the Western Star, published and edited
by Harvey Newcomb, Westfield. The excitement became intense. In
Western New York, the two previously existing parties were almost broken
up, and many churches were divided. ISfot long after the publication of
1 68 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Morgan's Illustrations of Masonry, Rev. David Bernard, then of Geflesee
county, published his Light on Masonry. And masons in many parts of the
country, seceded from the organizations. The progress of the institution
was arrested, and in a few years nearly all the lodges suspended operations.
In 1826, Judge Foote and Nathan Mixer were nominated as bucktails for
the assembly ; Samuel A. Brown and Philo Orton as Clintonians. The votes
were, for Foote, 2,312; for Mixer, 1,619; fo^" Brown, 1,696; for Orton,
1,197. It is not likely that voting was materially affected, at this election,
by the anti-masonic excitement. Mr. Brown, on account of some local ques-
tion, ran ahead of his colleague, [Orton,] and was elected. Thus James-
town had both the members, who were of opposite politics. De Witt Clin-
ton received 1,839 votes for governor; Wm. B. Rochester, 1,612.
In 1827, the anti-masons nominated for the assembly. Col. Nathaniel
Fenton and Nathan Mixer, who received respectively 2,192 and 2,332 votes.
The bucktail candidates, James Mullett and Thomas A. Osborne, received
1,232 and 1,101 votes. In 1828, the anti-masonic votes for assemblymen
were, for Abner Hazeltine, 2,056; for Nathan Mixer, 2,091. The votes for
the Jackson candidates were, for Joseph White, 1,458 ; for John McAlister,
1,158. James Hall and John Crain, candidates on a third ticket, received
respectively, 1,091 and 936. For governor, Solomon Southwick, [anti-mason,]
received in this county 1,783 votes; Martin Van Buren, [Jackson, or demo-
cratic,] 1,520 ; and Smith Thompson, [administration, or national republican,]
1,135. Ifi 1829, Abner Hazeltine and Squire White, anti-masons, received
2,461 and 2,502 votes; Horace Allen and Benjamin Walworth, democrats,
(though neither was a mason,) 1,835 ^-^^d 1,837 votes. The Eighth senate
district gave an anti-masonic majority of over 13,000. In 1830, Francis
Granger and Samuel Stevens, anti-masons, were candidates for governor and
lieutenant-governor, against Enos T. Throop and Edward Livingston, demo-
crats. Granger received 3,470 votes, and Stevens 3,454. Throop received
1,854, and Livingston 1,855. Foi" assembly, John Birdsall and Squire
White, anti-masons, received 3,403 and 3,387 votes ; and Elial T. Foote and
Ernest Mullett, democrats, received 1,958 and 1,884 votes. Every town in
the county gave an anti-masonic majority, except EUicott, Judge Foote
having a majority of 19 over the highest anti-masonic candidate. Gov.
Throop's majority in the state was 8,481." In the Eighth senate district the
anti-masonic majority was about 13,000 ; in the Seventh district, about 2,000 ;
in the Sixth, about 1,000. In 1831, Squire White and Theron Bly, anti-
masons, were elected without opposition.
In 1832, Granger and Stevens were again nominated by the anti-masons
for governor and lieutenant-governor ; also a full presidential electoral ticket.
And at a national convention, William Wirt and Amos Ellmaker were nom-
inated as candidates for president and vice-president. The national repub-
lican convention at Utica, nominated Ambrose Spencer for president, and the
anti-masonic electoral ticket and state candidates. The object of the coa-
lition probably was to elect Mr. Clay president, the anti-masonic state ticket,
POEITICAL HISTORY. 1 69
and a union legislature. Wm. L. Marcy, democrat, was elected governor by
a majority of 9,733; John Tracy, lieutenant-governor, by about the same
majority, and the whole Jackson electoral ticket. The anti-masonic electoral
ticket had a majority of 1,717 in Chautauqua county; John Griffin, for
senator, 1,637 ; Alvin Plumb and Nathaniel Gray, for assembly, about 1,600
over Albert H. Camp and Robertson Whiteside. Abner Hazeltine for
Congress, 1,580 majority. In 1833, James Hall and Thomas A. Osborne,
democrats, were elected over Waterman Ellsworth and Austin Smith, anti-
masons. Albert H. Tracy was reelected state senator over Judge John H.
Jones, by only 165 majority — the only one out of the eight elected. Of
the 128 members of assembly elected, 104 were democrats.
The union of the anti-masons and national republicans, in 1832, termi-
nated the existence of the anti-masonic party. The coalition was not an
unnatural or a strange one. The national republicans were striving to regain
political supremacy, and to restore the policy which had characterized the
administration of Mr. Adams ; and knowing a large majority of the anti-masons
to be in favor of that policy, they desired the alliance. The masons having
been quieted, and their lodge meetings generally having been suspended,
the anti-masons saw no necessity for continuing their organization, and quite
naturally consented to the proposed union.
The anti-masonic party owed much of its strength to the aid of Thurlow
Weed, of the Albany Journal. Mr. Weed had for some time conducted an
anti-masonic paper at Rochester. The Journal was established early in
March, 1830, by Packard, Hoffman 8z: White, (or two of them,) who placed
its editorial control in the hands of Mr. Weed, who continued to occupy the
position of editor-in-chief during the remaining two and a half years of the
anti-masonic period, and the entire period of the existence of the whig party.
Soon after the union of the national republican and anti-masonic parties, the
organization took the name of whig^ which it retained until the formation of
the republican party.
The American Party.
Several attempts have been made to weaken or destroy the political influence
of foreigners in this country. It was held that persons educated in monarchical
countries ; those who have in their native land enjoyed scanty educational
advantages ; and especially those who have been reared under papal in-
fluences, were unsafe depositaries of political power, after so short a proba-
tion as our laws prescribe. They held that the required term of residence,
previous to their full admission to citizenship, was insufficient for their
acquiring an adequate knowledge of our free institutions, and to form a proper
attachment to them. And it was proposed to extend this preparatory period
to twenty-one years.
An effort was made, to some extent, in this state, thirty years ago, to elect
members of the legislature, and of Congress, who were in favor, of the pro-
posed change in our naturalization laws. In several of the eastern and
south-eastern counties of the state, members of both houses were elected.
I/O HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
The motto of the advocates of the measure was : " Let Americans govern
America." But the attempt to form a strong party upon this basis, was
abortive. The mass of our people were indisposed to raise so powerful a
barrier to immigration. It had been the policy of our government, from the
time of its organization, to invite the people of the monarchies of the Old
World to the "asylum of liberty," established in the New.
About the year 1853, a new movement in the same direction, and more
effective than the former, was originated. The plan of organization in detail
was not then — perhaps is not now — fully understood by most persons outside
of the order. The meetings of its members were conducted in secret. And
it is believed, generally, that secrecy and concert in action were secured by
extra-judicial oaths. We are not aware that this has been admitted by
members of the order, or that it has, to any considerable extent, been posi-
tively affirmed by many persons outside of it. When questioned by the
curious concerning certain things pertaining to the organization, members
would often profess to know nothing about them. Hence is supposed to have
come the appellation so generally applied to them, Kitow Nothings, or Know
Nothing party. Their own chosen and proper name, if we rightly remem-
ber, was the Native American party.
This party increased and spread rapidly, until it reached every state in the
Union ; and it embraced many of our best and most patriotic citizens. They
saw what many of their opponents admitted, that evils had resulted from the
facilities afforded aliens for becoming invested with all the privileges of
American citizens. Men differed then as they differ now, as to the jneans
of remedying these evils. Admitting that the remedy proposed would, if
adopted, be effectual ; there could be no reasonable hope of effecting its
adoption. The millions of voters of foreign birth would be nearly unanimous
in their opposition to the measure, and would overcome any supposable
majority of native voters in its favor. But even if the contest were confined
to our native citizens, the hope of the success of the measure would be so
slight as to render the idea of engaging in the struggle unworthy of a
moment's consideration.
The first trial of the strength of Americanism in this county, was in 1854.
A member of Congress was to be elected to succeed Reuben E. Fenton,
whose term of office would expire in March following. The Americans nom-
inated Francis S. Edwards, of Fredonia, and the whigs, George W. Patterson,
of West&eid. The congressional district, composed of the counties of Chau-
tauqua and Cattaraugus, had given large whig majorities ; but through the
nomination of an unpopular candidate by the whigs, in 1852, Mr. Fenton, a
democrat, was elected. It soon becoming apparent that there would be a
great defection from the whig party to the Americans, whose candidate had
been a whig, and Mr. Fenton having broken from his party in Congress by
voting against the Kansas bill, Mr. Patterson declined the whig nomination,
and, with many of his party, supported Mr. Fenton. The result was the
election of Mr. Edwards.
POLITICAL HISTORY. I/I
On the 2d of February, 1855, a meeting of citizens of this county opposed
to the principles and aims of the new party, was held at Mayville, composed
of men of both the whig and democratic parties. Abram Dixon, of Westfield,
was chosen chairman of the meeting; George S. Harrison, of Stockton;
Theron S. Bly, of Harmony ; and William Colville, vice-presidents ; Stephen
Snow, of Fredonia, and J. S. Phillips, secretaries.
The meeting was addressed by Messrs. Alvin Plumb, and Walker, of
Westfield; Baker, of Sherman; Mason, of Harmony; and Van Ness, of
Chautauqua. —
The committee on resolutions, consisting of George W. Patterson, Niram
Sackett, John H. Pray, Emory F. Warren, and John M. Edson, reported
resolutions, which were adopted. They expressed alarm at the organization
of secret political societies, whose members are sworn to vote in political
matters for political offices for second degree members of this order. They
regarded these secret workings as evidence of evil and corrupt design ; de-
nounced the efforts that were making to discourage immigration as " unwise
and reprehensible ;" deprecated a change in the established mode of natural-
ization ; and declared slavery a state institution which can not exist in the
absence of special enactments. They approved of a tariff for revenue with
discriminating duties, affording incidental protection to the labor and products
of our own country ; and recommended organizations in the several towns of
those opposed to secret political societies.
In several states, the American party had considerable strength. It, how-
ever, gave early indications of decay. In 1856, the American vote of that
party for presidential electors, in this county, was about 1,300. It can
hardly be said to have survived the election of 1856.
Present Parties.
A history, in this place, of the two national parties, can not be given. The
origin of the democratic party has been briefly noticed. It was opposed by
the whig party during the existence of the latter. The principal measures
upon which these two parties were divided, were the tariff, a national bank,
the currency question in general, and legislation on the subject of slavery.
The attempt to force slavery into free territory in 1854, gave rise to the repub-
lican party, which assumed the form of a political organization in 1855. Its
design was to resist all further encroachments of slavery upon free territory
in the United States. The efforts to force slavery into Kansas awakened
such an interest in this subject as had never been witnessed in this country,
and hastened that most important event in our country's history — the attempt,
by a resort to arms, to sever the Union. The responsibility of carrying the
country through the perilous ordeal to which it was subjected, and the recon-
struction of the seceding states, devolved upon the republican party. All
these states are again members of the Union. The party suflFered a reverse
at the last election, [1874,] which resulted in the election of a majority of
democratic members to the present house of representatives.
1/2 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
WAR HISTORY— WAR OF 1812.
Causes of the War.
That war was declared by the United States against Great Britain, in
181 2, every adult reader probably knows. But there are doubtless many
among the younger class of our people who do not know the causes of that
war, nor its effects upon the early settlers of this county. The,y are thus
briefly stated :
Great Britain and France had long been at war. In August, 1804, Great
Britain, with a view to cripple the trade of France, declared certain ports of
France in a state of blockade, by which the vessels of other nations were
prohibited from entering her ports, except in certain cases. This order was
followed, on the part of Napoleon, by a decree declaring the British islands
in a state of blockade, and prohibiting all commerce with them. This was
intended to stop trade between Great Britain and the continent, and applied
also to American commerce.
Great Britain then issued another order, declaring in a state of blockade
all ports and places belonging to France and her allies, from which the
British flag was excluded, and all the colonies of his Britannic majesty's
enemies. Only the direct trade between neutral countries and the colonies
of his majesty's enemies was allowed. This measure so detrimental to neu-
tral commerce, was followed by a still more sweeping one, on the part of
France, declaring the British islands in a state of blockade, by sea and land ;
and every ship sailing from ports of England or her colonies, and proceeding
to England or to her colonies, or to countries occupied by the English, to be
lawful prize. And every ship which had submitted to search by an English
ship, or had made a voyage to England, or paid any tax to that government,
was declared denationalized, and lawful prize.
These measures were disastrous to American commerce, and unauthorized
ty the law of nations. To be lawful, a blockade must be maintained by a
force stationed at the enemy's ports, sufficient to make it dangerous for vessels,
to enter. This had not been done by either party. Yet under these orders
and decrees, or mere " paper blockades," as they were called, many American
vessels, with their cargoes, were captured by the privateers and cruisers of
the two belligerents, and condemned as prize.
But there was another grievance- — the impressment of American seamen.
Great Britain claimed the right to search our vessels on the high seas, and, if
among the seamen any were found to be Englishmen, to impress them into her
service. The claims of the two governments have been thus stated : " The
government of the United States asserts the broad principle, that the flag of
their merchant vessels shall protect the mariners. The privilege is claimed,
although every person on board, except the captain, may be an alien. The
British government asserts, that the allegiance of their subjects is inalienable,
in time of war, and that their seamen, found on the sea, the common highway
WAR HISTORY. 1 73
of nations, shall not be protected by the flag of private merchant vessels."
This doctrine, it was said, was common to all the governments of Europe.
France, as well as England, claimed, in time of war, the services of her sub-
jects. Both, by decrees, forbid their entering into foreign employ; both
recall them by proclamation.
Attempts to adjust the differences between the two countries by negotia-
tion having failed, our government, on the i8th of June, 1812, declared war
against Great Britain; and the British minister at Washington soon after
took his departure, bearing a letter from our government to our representative
at London, authorizing him to propose to the British government a suspension
of hostilities with a view to an adjustment of all difficulties. At Halifax,
on his way home, the British minister, [Mr. Foster,] received dispatches from
his government, dated about the 17th of June, directed to him at Washington,
but which he there opened, informing him of the intended revocation of the
orders in council, to take effect on the ist of August, Presuming that it was
the object of his government to prevent or stop hostilities, he sent the
dispatches to Mr. Baker, secretary to the British legation, still at Washington,
to be communicated to our government. And, having had a conversation
at Halifax, with Vice-Admiral Sawyer, naval commander, and Sir John Sher-
broke, lieutenant-governor, he was authorized by them to say to Mr. Baker,
that the decisions of cases of capture of American vessels should be
suspended. Our government, however, declined the proposition, preferring
to await the result of the proposition sent by Mr. Foster to the British
government.
It appears from the foregoing statement of affairs, that this triangular com-
mercial warfare continued for many years before it brought us into a state of
actual hostility to Great Britain. Many of our most patriotic citizens and
statesmen believed that the differences between the two nations might have
been settled, and probably would have been, without a resort to arms, and
without a sacrifice of our national honor. But a majority of the people's rep-
resentatives in Congress, who are by the constitution vested with the power
to declare war, having thought it^proper to exercise this power, the support
of the war was alike the dictate of duty and of patriotism.
The Chautauqua county militia were among those who entered earliest
into service in the war. In 1812, previous to the declaration of war, the
militia was organized into one regiment, commanded by Col. John Mc-
Mahan. In- June, Col. M. received orders to detach from his regiment a
full company to be in readiness to march at a minute's warning. The regi-
ment was called together for a draft, when all volunteered, and no draft was
made. This company was commanded by Capt. Jehiel Moore. The dec-
laration was made a few days after, [June i8th,] and the company ordered
to march, and to rendezvous at Lewiston. Early in July, they joined the
regiment there, [the i8th regiment of New York detached militia,] com-
manded by Col. Hugh W. Dobbin, of Geneva ; Majors Burbank, of Gen-
esee, and Morrison, of Niagara, and Adjutant Gerritt L. Dox, of Geneva.
174 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Nothing particularly worthy of notice occurred, until the battle of Queens-
ton, on the 13th of October. The troops were called up at 3 o'clock in the
morning, and marched to the river. As many as the boats would carry,
crossed over before daylight. The boats returned, and the Chautauqua
company embarked and crossed at the dawn of day. The movement was
discovered by the enemy, and the cannon began to roar on both sides of the
river. It was not yet quite light, and no enemy was visible ; but a scattering
fire was kept up from the bushes on the side hill, and from the road that leads
to Queenston. A part of the Chautauqua company was ordered to scour the
hill side, which was done, but without meeting any enemy : the firing, how-
ever, from that quarter ceased. In a description of the Queenston battle by
an officer from this county, (probably David Eaton, of Portland,) is the
following :
" On returning, we found that the troops had retreated to the very verge
of the river, and all lay flat on the ground, so as to be protected by the bank
from the fire of the enemy; and that Col. Van Rensselaer was wounded,
and unable to remain on his feet. He lay on the ground with the officers
standing around him, holding a council of war. It is believed there was, on
that side, no officer unwounded, higher in rank than captain. Van Rensselaer
told them to remain where they were ; that we would soon be reenforced,
and that some officer would be over to take the command. But neither
officer nor reenforcement came. Our position was distinctly seen from this
side ; and as we had but just ground enough to lie upon, the militia, taking
advantage of the ' constitutional ' doctrine that they could not be ordered be-
yond the territory of the United States, declined to come to our assistance.
Having no hope of a reenforcement, Col. Va* Rensselaer, still lying on the
ground, said : ' Parade your men, and go up and take that battery /' In a few
minutes we were marching silently along the bank of the river, hid by the
bank from the view of the enemy, but in full view of our friends on the oppo-
site side.
" The battery was at about two-thirds of the distance from the base of the
hill. Marching up the river until we were just within the great chasm of the
Niagara, we found a path which wound its way up this stupendous precipice,
so steep, in many places, as to render it necessary to pull ourselves up by
taking hold of the bushes, which also served to conceal us from the enemy.
When the front of the column had gained about two-thirds of the distance up
the hill, it came to a small level spot, and halted, to give the center and rear
a chance to close up. On arriving at this spot, we found those in front
huddled promiscuously together ; and the most of our company, which was
near the center when the line was formed, happened to get on that side from
which the path led off towards the top of the hill ; so that, when the order
was given to advance, our company, or at least a part of it, led the van ; and
the first Americans who set foot on Queenston Heights that day, were from
Chautauqua. Our line was immediately formed along the bank, with this
horrid chasm, nearly 200 feet deep, directly in its rear. When about 100 of
our men had reached the Heights, we were discovered by the enemy ; and
the troops stationed in the battery sallied out, and attacked us. But at the
second fire, they retreated to Queenston, and left us in possession of the bat-
tery. We mounted the works, swung our hats, and gave three hearty cheers ;
when lo ! the boats were filled with troops who came over to our relief — their
WAR HISTORY. 1 75
' constitutional ' scruples having subsided on seeing us in possession of the
enemy's works !
" The enemy came on to the attack three times, and were as often repulsed.
In the third attack I was wounded and retired to the rear. For about an hour
the attack was not renewed ; and our troops remained on the ground, reen-
forcements constantly arriving. At this time I recrossed the river. A few
of our men recrossed the river during the day. Those who remained were
made prisoners of war. They were, however, paroUed the next day. There
was but one act of downright cowardice in any one from this county, that
came to my knowledge. As this was somewhat amusing, even amidst the
carnage by which it was surrounded, I shall briefly relate it. As the men
were wounded, they retired to the brink of the river, where they lay on the
ground, waiting for the surgeon to dress their wounds. When the turn
of Sergeant **** came, the surgeon inquired where his wound was. He
answered only by a groan. The surgeon turned him over ; no blood was to
be seen, but he kept groaning. The surgeon supposing he was really wounded,
unceremoniously uncoated and unpantalooned him, and examined his body all
over ; but not a scratch was found. The poor sergeant, finding himself ex-
posed and roughly handled, muttered out, ' I'm sick.' The surgeon then, with
a contemptuous smile, turned to one who was really wounded, and left the re-
doubtable sergeant to adjust his costume at his leisure. In this battle, Nath-
aniel Bowen, of Villenova, was killed, and a Mr. Winsor died of wounds ; David
Eaton, Alpheus Mclntyre, Erastus Taylor, and Alex. Kelley were wounded.
"Near the close of the year 1813, the militia of the county were called
out, en masse, for the defense of Buffalo. They promptly turned out at the
call. The regiment was commanded by Col. John McMahan. The events
of the battle of Black Rock, and the burning of Buffalo, are too well known
to need recapitulation. In the summer of 18x4, the militia were again called
out, en masse, and stationed below Black Rock, during the siege and storming
of Fort Erie. They were not engaged in any battle, but almost every man
was sick of ague and fever, either while on the line, or after their return home.
A few died, among whom was Ensign Campbell Alexander, of Ripley."
British Cruisers — Battle of Black Rock.
During the war, our coast was infested with British cruisers with a view to
plunder ; and the people of the county were subjected to frequent alarms.
This being a frontier county, with a coast of 40 miles exposed to the depre-
dations of a powerful enemy, composed of trained British soldiers and their
savage allies, these alarms were not causeless. Indeed, several incursions
were made by the British at different points in this county, but as often,
perhaps, with damage to themselves as to our inhabitants. Captain Harman,
of Ashtabula, Ohio, passing up the lake, was driven into the mouth of Cat-
taraugus creek by the British brigs of war Queen Charlotte and Hunter,
which fired a number of cannon shot, several of which were afterwards found
on the shore. An express was sent to the Indians on the creek for help.
They turned out in great numbers, and stationed themselves on both sides of
the stream, well armed, anxious for the British to come ashore. Harman's
boat escaped without injury. The British turned and went off, to the great
disappointment of the Indians, but much to the satisfaction of the settlers.
176 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Lay's house, this side of Buffalo, was rifled by the British ; but on the
remonstrance of the American commander to the British, the goods were
ordered to be restored. They were accordingly put on board the British
Queen, an armed vessel of 10 or 12 guns, manned for the purpose, and carry-
ing a flag of truce, and were sent to Chadwick's Bay, now Dunkirk. They
were sent ashore in a boat with 13 men under the command of a lieutenant.
On landing, twelve of the boat crew raised their caps and bade their com-
mander adieu, and " quit the service," leaving the oflicer and a single sailor,
a Frenchman, to return to the vessel. While they were parleying with the
citizens resident at the place, the neighboring militia, whom a notice of the
arrival had attracted to the spot, not observing the flag of truce, but having
their attention principally directed to the red coats of the oSicer and his
remaining sailor, fired upon them, and broke the leg of the latter. The
officer otitered a liberal reward to the citizens to row him and the Frenchman
to the vessel. Failing to obtain assistance, he picked up the maimed man,
and made the best of his way on board.
Newark, in Canada, having been burnt by the Americans, it was rumored
that the British intended to retaliate by burning Bufialo. Having already
taken Fort Niagara, the militia of this county was called out en masse, in
December, 1813, to repel any attack upon Buffalo. They constituted the
i62d regiment, and numbered about 400; about 200 hundred of whom went
under the command of Col. John McMahan and Majors Wm. Prendergast
and Barnes. There were four companies, commanded by Captains John
Silsby and Jehiel Moore, and lieutenants Wm. Forbes and Hale. There
was also a company of Silver Greys, commanded by Capt. Hart. They
were ordered to rendezvous at Buffalo, and were quartered in log huts a short
distance eastward of the village. The militia there assembled numbered
about 2,000 men, and were under the command of Gen. Hall. The British
force detailed for the attack upon Buffalo consisted of about 1,500 regulars
and 400 Indians, under Gen. Riall.
On the night of the 30th of December, about 1 2 o'clock, the American
camp was alarmed by the receipt of intelligence that the enemy were cross-
ing Niagara river at Black Rock. A portion of the militia was marched
down to oppose their landing. The main body of the British had effected a
landing at the mouth of Conjockity creek, a mile or more below the ferry.
Efforts were made to prevent their progress, though with but partial success.
The militia, who had proceeded to the ground, not in a body, but in detached
parties, were easily routed by the disciplined troops of the enemy, and driven
back as fast they arrived on the scene of action.
The skirmishing continued during the greater part of the night, the firing
of which was distinctly heard at Buffalo, where the Chautauqua regiment had
remained, under arms, paraded in front of Pomeroy's tavern, as a reserve.
About four o'clock on the morning of the 31st, Col. McMahan's regiment
was marched to Black Rock, and posted opposite the ferry, in the rear of the
battery that had been erected at that point. Soon after daylight, six or seven
WAR HISTORY. 1 77
boats, containing each fifty or sixty men, were seen to put oflF from the Cana-
dian shore, with the evident intention of effecting a landing. A firing was
kept up by the battery at the ferry, and was returned from the opposite shore.
One of the enemy's boats was struck by a cannon shot from the American
side, and sunk with its hostile freight. About the break of day, the Chau-
tauqua regiment was ordered to advance. They proceeded down the river
nearly half a mile, and met the enemy in force near the residence of Gen.
Porter. A sharp, though unequal contest ensued, when the militia broke
and fled, as those who had preceded them had done. During the engage-
ment, a part of the British force had passed up under the bank of the river,
and taken post in the road leading from Buffalo to the ferry, with a view of
cutting off the militia in their retreat. Escape by the avenue through which
they had arrived being thus prevented, and pressed, as they were, by the
advance of the enemy, they were compelled to take to the woods in the rear
of the ferry for safety, through which many of the American force, including
a portion of the Chautauqua regiment, fled precipitately ; and such of them
as escaped the rifle and tomahawk of the savages, who immediately filled the
woods in pursuit, reached the main road at Buffalo and at various points for
several miles to the eastward in the direction of Batavia, The largest por-
tion of the whole force returned to their homes, among whom were the prin-
cipal part of the Chautauqua militia. The remainder, who had survived,
were afterwards quartered for several weeks at Miller's tavern, about two
miles to the east of Buffalo. Towards noon of the 31st, the British set fire
to Buffalo, and finally recrossed the river to Canada, the second or third day
after that event.
The loss to this county was severe in proportion to the number engaged.
James Brackett, a lawyer from Mayville, was killed and scalped by the
Indians during the retreat from Black Rock. Joseph Frank, from Busti,
Wm. Smiley, from Ellery, Ephraim Pease and John Lewis, from Pomfret,
Aaron Nash, Bovee and Hubbard, from Hanover, and several others, were
killed. Maj. Prendergast had a number of balls shot through his hat and
clothes. Capt. Silsby was severely wounded, and Lieut. Forbes had one
man killed and five men wounded of the twenty-one under his command.
The bodies of the killed which were found, were buried in a common grave
near the road leading from Buffalo to Black Rock, into which eighty-ijine
were promiscuously thrown. Among these were the bodies of the Chautau-
qua militia. They were afterwards disinterred, and many of them claimed
by their relatives, and taken home to be buried. The bodies of several
others, who had been killed on their retreat through the woods, and scalped
by the Indians, were found during the winter and spring, and committed to
the earth.
To the foregoing sketch of military operations along the frontier of West-
em New York, by Judge Warren, he subjoins the following :
" At this period, the frontier presented a scene of desolation rarely
witnessed. The inhabitants who had escaped the tomahawk, fled into the
178 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
interior, in the depth of winter, without shelter or means of support, and
subsisted on the charity of their friends. The panic was general, and per-
vaded this county, though in a degree somewhat less than in the section of
country in the immediate vicinity of the point of attack. The only build-
ings remaining in Buffalo were the jail, which was built of stone, a small
framed house, and an armorer's shop. All the houses and almost every
building between Buffalo and Niagara Falls were destroyed, as were also
many of those on the Batavia road, for several miles beyond Buffalo."
The following are names of the commissioned and non-commissioned
officers of companies of Chautauqua militia, under the command of Col.
Hugh W. Dobbin :
Capt. Moore's Company — -July 4 to October 4., 18 12.
Captain — Jehiel Moore. Lieut. — David Eaton. Ensign — Charles Burritt.
Sergeants — Alpheus Mclntyre, John Ingersoll, Samuel J. Smith, John Dull.
Corporals — Amos Wright, Jonathan S. Pattison, Daniel Densmore. Fifers —
Arnold Russell, John Bate.
Capt. Maoris Company — October 4 to Dec. ji, 181 2.
Captain — Jehiel Moore. Lieut. — Samuel D. Wells. Ensign — Charles
Burritt. Sergeants — Alpheus Mclntyre, Asa Johnson, Isaac Badgley, John
Dull. Corporals — Hezekiah G. Canfield, Jonathan S. Pattison, Josiah Gibbs.
Drummer — John Bartoo. Fifer — Horatio Hopkins.
Names of commissioned and non-commissioned officers of companies of
Chautauqua militia, under the command of Col. John McMahan :
Capt. Silsby's Compa7iy — Dec. 20, 181J, to Feb. j, 1814.
Captain — John Silsby. Lieut. — Charles Bemus. Ensign — Clark Parker.
Sergeants — Zephaniah Phelps, Abijah Bennett, Peter Simmons, John Wisner,
Wm. Russell, [substitute for H. Tinkcom,] David Bly. Corporals — Robert
Latham, Stephen Deming, Samuel Griffith, Hezekiah Seymour, Asa Martin.
Drummer — John Lee. Fifers — Myron Bly, Alanson Root.
Lieut. Forbes' Company — Dec. 20, J8ij, to Feb. j, 1814.
[This company was set off from Capt. Silsby's. Solomon Jones was
appointed captain ; Wm. Forbes, lieut. ; and William Martin, ensign. Mr.
Jones decHning the appointment, Forbes was the senior in command.]
Lieutenant — William Forbes. Ensign — William Martin. Sergeants — Amos
Bird, Phineas Palmeter, Jr., Isaac Martin, Elijah Akin. Corporals — Stephen
Hadley, Ira Owens.
* Capt. Adam^ Company — Dec. 20, i8ij, to Feb. j, 1814.
Captain — Moses Adams. First Lieut. — David Eaton. Second Lieut. —
Campbell Alexander. Ensign — William Ingersoll. Sergeants — Nathaniel
Fay, Ja.mes Dickson, John Dull, Philip Stephens, Daniel C. Northrup, Robert
C. Dickson. Corporals — Pliny Case, [substitute for I. Sweet,] Friend John-
son, [taken prisoner at Black Rock,] Rufiis Perry, Wm. M. Riddle, Wilder
Emerson, John Smith, [wounded.] Drummer — George Hall. Fifer — Bar-
ney Turtelot.
Capt. Tubbs' Company — Dec. 20, 181 j, to Feb. j, 1814.
Captain — Martin B. Tubbs. Lieut. — Peter Ingersoll. Ensign — Guy
Webster. Sergeants — Miles Webster, Joel Barrell, James Knapp, Nathaniel
WAR HISTORY. 179
Barney, Jonathan S. Pattison. Corporals — Salmon Munger, Ira Clothier,
Allen Denny, Asahel Burnham, Uriah Nash, Moses Hines. Fifers — Wm.
Wilcox, Thomas Nevins. _ DrumfHers — ^John Bartoo, Samuel Nevins.
Capt. Tubbs" Company — Aug. i, 1814, to Sept. 26, 1814.
Captain — Martin B. Tubbs. Lieut. — Benj. Perry. Ensign — Samuel
Smith. Sergeants — Miles Webster, Sudim Graves, Jonathan S. Pattison,
James Knapp. Corporals — Chester Smith, Arunah Gilmore, Rufus Ransted,
Preserved Wells, Ira Clothier. Drummer — Jno. White. Fifer — Thos. Nevins.
Capt. McMahan's Company — August i, 1814.
Captain — James McMahan. Lieutenant — Charles Bemus. Second Lieut. —
Campbell Alexander. Ensign — William Ingersoll. Sergeants — Zephaniah
Phillips, Nathaniel Fay, Isaiah Martin, Daniel C. Northrup, Reuben Ellis,
Daniel Bennett. Corporals — Robert Latham, Stephen Dunning, Pliny Cass,
Lorrel Nichols, Rufus Berry. Fifers — Wm. Bandel, Myron Bly.
In the original record of the companies, we find a large portion of the
persons enrolled, marked as deserters. Of one of the companies, more than
one-half are so designated ; of two or three others, a considerable number ;
and a few in the remaining ones. The greater portion of those who were
returned as deserters, are not to be considered as really such. The state of
their families, and the condition of affairs at and about Buffalo, were such as
to justify a majority of them to visit their homes. Circumstances clearly
indicate that the defection of most of them may not be justly ascribed to
cowardice or disloyalty. Their character forbids the supposition. They
were then and during the remainder of their lives, highly respected citizens,
some of whom are still living. Nor did they leave clandestinely as deserters
usually do. Judge Foote, in a note at the end of the lists, says :
" It will be seen that nearly all the desertions were in the companies of
Col. McMahan's regiment, in the winter of 1813-1814, in the vicinity of
Buffalo, after it had been burned. They had notRing to do. They had no
quarters or tents, nor comfortable rations ; and they went home openly and
boldly, with the knowledge of the officers, without opposition, though without
their consent."
George W. Manly, a substitute for Asahel Russell, under Capt. Silsby,
and discharged at or near Fort Niagara, where he remained until after the
Buffalo battle, after which he went to the battle ground " to look for the dead
and wounded," says :
"There was not a house nor tent for the soldiers in the town. They could
not procure food or lodging ; and there was not an enemy on this side of the
river. The soldiers that went home to Chautauqua did so because they were
obliged to ; being without money, and having no government stock on hand.
Besides, most of them had left their families and cattle without food. The
latter had to be kept on browse, and some of them died. The weather was
cold, and the soldiers had to furnish their own blankets, for the want of
which their families were suffering ; and their presence at home was necessary
to keep their families from starvation."
William Russell, a sergeant in Capt. Silsb/s company, thus describes the
state of things at home on his return :
l8o HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
" My wife and children met me at the gate to welcome me in, and said :
' You will not go back again ?' I told her I should, the day after to-morrow,
[the 3d of January,] and that I had the premise of being discharged in a few
days. On the 6th day I returned to Buffalo with what deserters I could find,
about ten. We were in season to help gather and bury the dead. I returned
home the last week in February or the first in March. I found two of my
cows lying dead, having died of starvation. Isaac Young had brought my
wife a peck of musty meal. She boiled a quart into mush and fed it to one
cow at night, and another quart the next morning ; but it did not save her
life. Young promised her a peck of com per week until I returned home —
a small allowance for her and six children^ She proceeded to get supper.
There was a little meat, but no bread except a little piece of johnny-cake.
I said, boil some potatoes ; but there was not one left ; all had been fed to
the cows to save their lives, but they died. Bed time came ; when she said :
' We will fix for bed ; I suppose you have got seasoned to lying on the floor.'
'Yes,' I replied, 'and on the ground too.' She swept the floor, and brought
on the bed. I told her to bring on the straw bed. She said there had been
no straw in the tick for three weeks ; it had all been fed to the cows. * * *
Now, Judge Foote, you can better conceive my feelings than I can describe
them. To think of the privations and hardships we all went through, and to
bear the name of deserters withal, makes the blood boil in my veins. Not a
word is said about our volunteering under Gen. Peter B. Porter, and going
over to Fort Erie ; that is all forgotten."
David Eaton, late of Portland, under date of August 26, 1832, wrote on
this subject as follows :
" We all admitted and felt that the affair at Black Rock and BuflFalo was
disgraceful to the militia, not of Chautauqua county alone, but of Western
New York. While a part of the militia of this county remained in the vicin-
ity of Buffalo, and another part returned, and continued in service some five
or six weeks, I have no knowledge that any from the other counties, — Cattar-
augus, Allegany, Niagara, •Genesee, and perhaps Orleans and Steuben — ever
returned at all. If the odium of desertion fairly attaches to any of us, it does
also to all of them, their oflScers included. And I strongly suspect, (though
I do not know,) that the regiments from those counties were never mustered
at all ; and, if so, no record was ever made of their being in the service.
And thus they slipped their own necks out of the yoke, and left the disgrace,
so far as appears from the returns, to be borne wholly by poor old Chau-
tauqua. * * * If they [from those counties] did desert, officers and all,
that is no excuse for us. I have no disposition to gloss over our conduct
by a comparison with others, but am willing that the truth should be known.
A part of our regiment did leare after the battle, came home, and did not
return ; and perhaps there was no other way than to return them as deserters.
But even in their case, something may be said in their favor. It was well
known that Gen. McClure had just burned Newark, and everybody expected
that the enemy would retaliate by burning Buffalo. When the mihtia of the
western counties were called out, en masse, it was generally understood that
it was for the express purpose of defending that place. And when they found
that all was lost, it was not unnatural for them to suppose that their services
were no longer needed. Col. John McMahan, who commanded the regiment
from this county, said, he had been legally called into the service of the
United States, and he meant to stay till he could be legally discharged. He
WAR HISTORY. l8l
did so, and did all he could to get the men back, and keep them there. He
was, however, rather liberal in giving furloughs, and many of us took the ad-
vantage of it, myself among the rest."
Gen. Hall, in his report of January 6, 1814, says: "The Chautauqua
militia, a regiment under the command of Lt. Col. McMahan, which arrived
at Buffalo on the 29th of December, about 300 men, swelled my force to
2,011 ; which was reduced by alarm and desertion, on the morning of the
alarm, to less than 1,200 men. And so deficient were my supplies of ammu-
nition, that a great part of the cartridges for Lt. Col. McMahan's regiment
were made and distributed after they were paraded on the morning of the
battle. * * * Col. McMahan's regiment had been a reserve in battle ;
but when ordered into action, terror seized them — they flew in disgrace,
though some stood by and behaved well, and endeavored to rally men."
To the defection of the reserve, he imputes, in great part, his defeat.
From the statements in preceding pages, it is not easy to determine what
measure of blame attaches to the Chautauqua militia. It should be remem-
bered that they were raw soldiers, without adequate drill, and without expe-
rience, hurried into action, almost at the moment of their arrival, against the
well-drilled and experienced British soldiers. There may have been Other
difficulties which could not have been overcome by the best-disciplined
troops. It was well for themselves and their families, that their services
were not needed for any considerable period after the unfortunate engage-
ment we have described.
When the war was about to commence, many were more apprehensive of
our inability to cope wilh the enemy on the seas than on the land. But it
is now generally conceded that our greatest successes were achieved by our
navy. Both the belligerents probably congratulated themselves on the re-
turn of peace, though neither had occasion to rejoice at what had been
gained in the contest. We doubtless convinced Great Britain of our strength
as a nation, and our ability to defend ourselves against the encroachments
and injuries of other powers; but our government failed to secure the only
object fought for — to redress the grievance of the impressment of seamen on
American vessels. The repeal of the British orders in council, of which we
justly complained, as will be remembered, was proclaimed before the war
had really commenced, leaving only the impressment question at issue, which
was left as it had been, without any concession on the part of Great Britain.
Peace, even with this grievance unredressed, was a boon, for which our
people had reason to be grateful. Especially have we occasion to rejoice at
the prospect of perpetual peace between two nations having a common ori-
gin, a common language, and a common religion.
The last battle was fought at New Orleans, in which our army under Gen.
Jackson gained a brilliant victory, after the treaty of peace had been negoti-
ated in Europe. Peace, however, was not proclaimed in this country until
February following.
1 82 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
CIVIL WAR.
Its Origin.
An enumeration of all the events which led to the war of the rebellion, is
incompatible with the design as well as the prescribed limits of this work.
Yet, as it seems proper that some statement of the causes of a war should be
transmitted with its history, we preface our brief sketch of the rebellion with
the mention of a few of the antecedents of the war in which many of the
citizens of Chautauqua county bore an honorable and a conspicuous part.
Our late civil war may be justly ascribed, in great part, to that grand politi-
cal heresy named in the South state rights ; by which is meant the right of a
state to nullify an act of Congress which state authorities may declare uncon-
stitutional— a doctrine expressly asserted in the original draft of the Ken-
tucky Resolutions of 1798, and which, for a time, was accepted by a majority
of the people of the North as well as the South — a doctrine which involves
the right of a state to secede from the Union. In 1832, South Carolina,
displeased with a protective tariff, passed an ordinance of secession ; but by
concessions to her prejudices and demands, she was induced to repeal her
ordinance, and consented to remain in the Union. The cause of the late war
was the evident determination of the Northern states to prevent the further
extension of slavery. The effort to introduce slavery into Kansas had proved
unsuccessful. The election of Mr. Lincoln was regarded by the South as a
death-blow to their favorite project, unless they could separate themselves
from the Union.
The republican party had been formed in 1855, upon the issue of slavery
extension. In 1856, threats of disunion, in case of the election of Fremont,
were uttered by the leading statesmen of the South ; and the election of Mr.
Lincoln in i860 was made the occasion for carrying their meditated project
into effect. South Carolina took the lead in the secession movement. A
state convention was called to meet on the 17th of December. Before the
end of November, similar calls were issued in Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama,
Virginia, Florida, and Louisiana; and their legislatures assembled in Decem-
ber and January. Before the meeting of Congress in December, the move-
ment for immediate secession was confined to the cotton and Gulf states.
The secession of Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, and North Carolina was for
a time delayed.
Congress met December 3, i860. In his message, President Buchanan
ascribes the occurrences at the South to " the long continued and intemperate
interference of the northern people with the question of slavery." He says
it would be " easy for the American people to settle the slavery question for-
ever, and to restore peace and harmony. * * * All that is necessary,
and all for which the slave states have ever contended, is to be let alone."
He denies the right of secession as a constitutional right, and says : " Seces-
sion is neither more nor less than revolution. It may, or it may not, be a
WAR HISTORY. 1 83
justifiable revolution ; but still it is revolution." He discusses the question
as to the power of Congress to coerce into submission a state which is
attempting to withdraw, or has withdrawn from the confederacy ; and con-
cludes, " that no such power has been delegated to Congress or to any other
department of the federal government. * * * War would present the
most effectual means of destroying the Union, and banish all hope of its
peaceable reconstruction. * * * Congress possess many means of pre-
serving it by conciliation; but the sword was not placed in their hand to
preserve it by force.''
The argument of the president against the power to coerce a state, seems
to have been based upon the official opinion of Attorney-General Black.
The president may employ the land and naval forces to aid him in executing
the laws. He can thus enforce the collection of the duties within the proper
port of entry, but he is not confined to the custom-house nor any particular
spot. He says :
" To send a military force into a state to act against the people, would be
simply making war upon them. Existing laws put and keep the government
strictly on the defensive. Force can be used only to repel an assault upon
the public property, and aid the courts in the performance of their duty.
* * * If war can not be declared, nor hostilities carried on against a
state, by the central government, then it seems to follow that an attempt to
do so would be ipso facto an expulsion of such state from the Union. Being
treated as an alien and an enemy, she would be compelled to act accordingly.
And if Congress shall thus break up this Union, will not all the states be ab-
solved from their federal obligations ? Is any portion of the people bound
to contribute their money or blood to carry on such a contest ? * * *
If this view of the subject be as correct as I think it is, then the Union must
utterly perish at the moment when Congress shall arm one part of the people
against another for any purpose but that of merely protecting the general
government in the exercise of its proper constitutional functions."
On the 2ist of December, i860. South Carolina passed the secession ordi-
nance; and on the 24th, Gov. Pickens, by proclamation, declared South
Carolina to be " a separate, sovereign, free and independent state, having a
right to levy war, conclude peace, negotiate treaties," etc. It is worthy of
note, that the secretary of war, John B. Floyd, of Va., had placed in the
arsenal at Charleston about 70,000 stand of arms ; and the arsenal was put
in the care of the governor of the state, by which means the arms got into
the hands of the conspirators ; thus showing the complicity of the secretary
in the treason. The two South Carolina senators had resigned their seats.
Cobb, secretary of the treasury, resigned December loth; and Senator Cass,
of Michigan, on the 14th. The resignation of the latter was believed to
have been caused by the president's unwillingness to resort to coercion, even
to protect the public property.
Serious apprehensions for the safety of Major Anderson and his men in
Fort Moultrie, were entertained. His garrison consisted of only sixty effec-
tive men; and the fort was an indifferent and insecure one. Unsuspected by
the South Carolina authorities, and without the knowledge of the president,
1 84 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
and having, moreover, been denied reenforcements, on the night of the
26th of December, he left Fort Moultrie, and occupied Fort Sumter, which
had been prepared for him. The evacuation of Fort Moultrie surprised
the South Carolinians and the president : the former, because they consid-
ered the president under a pledge to prevent such a movement ; the latter,
because he had instructed Major Anderson to pursue a course which should
guard against a collision of troops with the people of that state. He had
enjoined him "not to take up, without necessity, any position which could
be construed into the assumption of a hostile attitude ; but to hold posses-
sion of the forts, and, if attacked, to defend himself"
From the feelings and expressions of the people in and about Charleston,
and from the preparations for military movements, Anderson had reason
to expect either an attack in an almost defenceless fort, or an early occupa-
tion of Fort Sumter. Should the latter take place, he could not maintain
his position a single day ; and having no expectation of reenforcements, he
thought it his duty to change his position. This movement, however, was
construed into a threat of coercion, and was immediately followed by prep-
arations for resistance.
Commencement of Hostilities.
The South Carolina convention which had been called to meet on the 17 th
of December, i860, elected three commissioners "to treat with the United
States " for a peaceful settlement. They arrived at Washington the 26th,
and, in obedience to their instructions, demanded of the president the un-
conditional evacuation of the forts in the harbor, in case of his refusal to
order Anderson back to Fort Moultrie. The post-office and the telegraph
offices were taken under control of the state authorities ; and possession was
taken of the custom-house and of Fort Moultrie and Castle Pinckney by the
state troops, who were readily supphed by the arms and munitions which Sec-
retary Floyd had placed in the arsenal there. Of the interview between the
commissioners and the president, it needs only to be said that it was fruitless.
F^rly in January, 1861, the steamer. Star of the West, left New York, by
order of the war department, then conducted by Joseph Holt, of Ky., with
provisions and munitions and 200 troops for Fort Sumter. The Charleston
authorities having become apprised of this, they made preparations to resist
the passage of the steamer to her destination. When within about two mUes
of Fort Sumter, a masked battery from Morris' Island opened fire upon her.
She was struck several times, and was compelled to return without accom-
plishing her mission.
Early in February, the secretaries of departments from the seceding states,
and their senators and many of their representatives, had resigned their seats.
In January, the seven states which united in forming the Southern Confed-
eracy, had adopted their ordinances of secession ; [South Carolina, Dec. 20,
i860; Texas, Feb. i, 1861.]
On the 4th of February, the members of the sofifcem convention met at
WAR HISTORY. 1 85
Montgomery, Ala., for the purpose oi forming a government. The delegates
had been chosen by the several state conventions. The constitution of the
United States, with some alterations and additions relating to slaves and
slavery, was adopted as the constitution of the confederacy. On the 9th, the
convention chose Jefferson Davis to be provisional president, and Alexander
H. Stephens, vice-president.
Sundry peace measures were proposed in Congress, but without effect.
Also a "peace convention," proposed by the state of Virginia, in which
twenty-one states were represented, met at Washington on the 4th of Feb-
ruary, and continued its session until the 27 th. The seceding states took no
part in it. It was without any practical result.
The war was commenced by the bombardment of Fort Sumter, April 1 2,
x86i. The batteries of Sullivan's Island, Morris' Island, and other points,
were opened on the fort at 4 o'clock in the morning. Fort Sumter returned
the fire, and a brisk cannonading was kept up for some time. In answer to
the Confederate General Beauregard's demand to surrender the fort, Major
Anderson replied, that he would surrender when his supplies were exhausted ;
that is, if he were not reenforced. On the next day he surrendered the fort.
After the surrender, bells were rung and cannons fired in Charleston. No
lives, it was said, were lost in the bombardment, though several of Ander-
son's men were wounded. The rebels also pretended that they had
suflfered no loss. This was at first believed. It was afterward stated on what
was considered reliable authority, that about 300 were killed in Fort Moultrie
alone. This statement was corroborated by a northern man who had been
forced into the confederate service, and who was in Fort Moultrie during
the bombardment. Major Anderson and his men left on the 14th for New
York, on the steamer Isabel. The necessity of the surrender appears from
Major Anderson's dispatch to the secretary of war :
" Sir : Having defended Fort Sumter 34 hours, until quarters were en-
tirely burned, main gates destroyed by fire, the gorge wall seriously injured,
magazine surrounded by flames, and its door closed from the effects of heat,
four barrels and three cartridges of powder only being available, and no
provisions but pork remaining, I accepted terms of evacuation offered by
Gen. Beauregard, being the same offered by him on the nth instant, prior
to the commencement of hostilities, and marched out of the fort on Sunday
afternoon, 14th instant, with colors flying, drums beating, bringing away
company and private property, and saluting my flag with fifty guns."
It was believed that the confederates intended to march on Washington
with a large army; and detachments of cavalry were stationed on roads
outside of the city, and volunteer companies were in the capital. Action
was immediately taken in many of the states for raising troops. The services
of many thousand volunteers were promptly offered.
On the 15th of April, 1861, President Lincoln issued s. proclamation calling
for 7 5, 000 men, whose first services would "probably be to repossess the
forts, places, and property which had been seized firom the Union." He
stated that the utmcwKare would be observed, to avoid injury to the
1 86 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
property or persons of peaceful citizens of any part of the country. And he
commanded the persons composing the combinations against the government
to disperse, and to return to their homes within 20 days from date. He also
called a special session of Congress, to meet on the 4th of July next, to deter-
mine such measures as the public safety and interest might seem to demand.
This proclamation was, within a few days, followed by another, declaring a
blockade of the ports of all the seceded states.
Two days after orders for troops had been issued by Gov. Andrew, of
Massachusetts, two regiments, collected from different parts of the state,
appeared at the capitol, and reached New York city, en route for Washington,
before a regiment of this state was ready to march. Many banks and wealthy
individuals offered large loans of money to the government. Public meetings
were held in almost every village to raise money and other means of support
for the families of the volunteers.
At Fredonia, a public meeting was held on the evening of the 20th of
April, and was effectively addressed by Oscar W. Johnson, Frederick A.
Redington, George Barker, Lorenzo Morris, Ezra S. Ely, and Orson Stiles,
all of Fredonia, and Geo. C. Cranston, of Sheridan. A series of patriotic
resolutions were adopted, and a finance committee was appointed to take
charge of and to disburse the fund to be raised for the relief of the famiUes
of the volunteer soldiers. The names of those who subscribed to this fund
at this meeting, and the sums they respectively pledged, were as follows :
George Barker, Orson Stiles, Stephen M. Clement, John B. & Heman D.
M. Miner, [firm,.] Scott Aldrich, Geo. H. White, Lewis B. Grant, Geo. W.
Lewis, Calvin Hutchinson, $100 each; Joel R. Parker, $125 ; Censor o^c^,
James P. MuUett, Taylor & Jennings, Geo. N. Frazine, Alva Colbum,
Henry C. Frisbee, John B. Forbes, A. N. Clark & Co., Luther Crocker, J.
N. Greene, James O. Putnam, Frederick A. Redington, R. U. Wheelock,
Leveret B. Greene, Duane L. Gumsey, David Barrell, Geo. D. Hinkley, each
$50 ; W. W. Lewis, $35 ; Erastus Holt, Charles E. Washburn, John M. Van
Kleek, Thomas W. Bristol, Aaron L. Putnam, Salmon Hart, Nathan A. Put-
nam, Caleb Stanley, Geo. W. Briggs, Isaac A. Saxton, Delos Beebe, Charles
J. Orton, W. W. Scott, Preston Barmore, John Hamilton, Jr., E. M. Spink,
Ezra S, Ely, L. A. Barmore, Emory F. Warren, Oscar W. Johnson, J. B.
Putnam, Aaron O. Putnam, Charles F. Matteson, C. W. Burton, Simeon
Savage, Spencer Allen, Stephen Snow, Daniel J. Pratt, each $25 ; Stephen
O. Day, Allen Hinkley, Obed Bissell, Wm. B. Archibald, Ralph H. Hall,
Abner N. Clark, Jesse E. Baldwin, Julius J. Parker, John C. Mullett, R. E.
Post, D. O. Sherman, Lorenzo Morris, H. Bouton, each $20. Total, $2,870.
Movements in the North.
At Jamestown, a mass-meeting was held on the 29th of April, which was
stated to be the first large movement of the people in that section of the county.
The occasion was honored by the closing of store^^ business places, and
a grand display of colors. A magnificent flag thl^Btd seen service in the
WAR HISTORY. 187
navy, was run up on a staff at the stand, comer of Pine and Third streets.
Hon. Samuel A. Brown was chosen president of the meeting ; and Horace
Allen, Jehlel Tiffany, Levi Barrows, Sardius Steward, D. G. Powers, Daniel
Williams, John A. Hall, Emri Davis, David Wilbur, H. N. Thornton, John
Markham, S. E. Palmer, vice-presidents. The meeting was addressed by the
president on the nature of the nation's crisis and the duty of her citizens.
He introduced, successively, as speakers, Hon. R. P. Marvin, Rev. Messrs.
S. W. Roe, H. H. Stockton, of Panama, T. H. Rouse, L. W. Norton, Henry
Benson, and J. Leslie. They were followed by Capt. James M. Brown, of
company B., and Hon. Madison Bumell. A subscription for the volunteers
was then opened and a generous fund raised. After which, short speeches
were made by Rev. Isaac George, and Messrs. Wm. H. Lowry and Theodore
Brown. Also a committee of ladies was appointed to provide for the ward-
robe and other wants of the volunteers : Mrs. A. F. Allen, Mrs. D. H.
Grandin, Mrs. R. P. Marvin, Mrs. Lewis Hall, Mrs. O. E. Jones, Mrs. J. H.
Clark, Mrs. C. L. Harris, Mrs. Orsell Cook, Mrs. C. L. Jeffords, Mrs. Wm.
Post, Mrs. W. Barker, Mrs. S. Seymour.
Another meeting was held at Jamestown, Friday evening, July 25th, fol-
lowed by two others on Saturday and Monday evenings. In the Journal,
from which the following account is taken, the proceedings were thus
introduced :
Three Huge Meetings in Jamestown — Prodigal Outpouring of Money and Men
for the Good Cause — Grand Speeches from Orators and the People —
Poland, Carroll, Kiantone, Ellington, Busti, Harmony, and the county
respond.
The editor says : We hardly know where to commence the narration of
the exciting events of the past week. Our people have been wrought up to
a pitch of enthusiasm and patriotic ardor, that, in some respects, can find no
parallel in previous experiences. * * * Three meetings, such as this
place has never seen before, have been held. The meeting of Friday even-
ing, July 25th, exceeded the expectations of the most sanguine. Every seat
in Jones' Hall was filled before dark, and all the standing room was packed
full before the meeting commenced. Probably hundreds were turned away
from the stairs, which also were crowded.
Hon. Samuel A. Brown was chosen to preside, and J. E. Mayhew made
secretary. The meeting was addressed by Rev. L. W. Norton, Capt. Tuck-
erman, Capt. A. J. Marsh, of company K., 49th regiment, Hon. Madison
Burnell, and John F. Smith, Esq. Subscriptions for money were again taken
for the families of volunteers. Upwards of $500 was subscribed; In the
meantime lists were open for vplunteers to subscribe. Then came one of
the most remarkable and exciting scenes ever witnessed in this county.
Capt. Marsh, Capt. John F. Smith, Rev. Henry Benson, Madison Bumell
and others, gathered in front of the platform receiving the names of subscrib-
ers, their amounts, andJlfc^names of recruits, exhorting in the most thrilling
and patriotic tone. '^^^Kp the ball rolling, as each noble fellow walked to
LndJijjfc^nai
1 88 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
the stand, and laid himself a live offering on his country's altar, three cheers
were given to each by the excited audience.
Col. Henry Baker was called to the stand, and made most touching and
patriotic remarks. The old man, trembling and weak, told how he "went to
the defense of his country when but i6 years old;" that he had three boys
in the army now ; that he hated to let 'them go ; but he " could not blame
them, for their 'dad' went when he was only sixteen." He did not know
that he should ever see the boys again. One of them was badly wounded
and a prisoner — if he was alive — the second was sick in the hospital. Then
the old man broke clear down, and sobbingly declared that his only regret
was, that he had not six boys more to send ; and closed with the most
touching benediction on the old flag and on the country. Many wept with
him, sharing alike his emotion and his devotion to his country.
Wm. H. Tew, from the back side of the room, said he wanted the thing to
move a little faster; and he offered $2 to every man who would enlist, in ad-
dition to the gross amount subscribed by him before. O. E. Jones offered
$5 to every man. Col. Allen pledged $io to every man ; Solomon Jones,
$5 ; and others enough to make $25 to every man — making $50 bounty to
every one. Midnight arrived ; and the enthusiasm of the audience was un-
abated. Nine volunteers had been enrolled ; and it was moved to suspend
operations until the next evening. The offers mentioned above were extended
until the next night.
The meeting on Saturday evening was, if possible, more enthusiastic than
the former one, and was more fertile in practical accomplishments of the end
in view — enlistments. The speakers were Rev. Messrs. S. W. Roe, P. Byrnes,
and H. Benson, and Mr. Bumell and Capt. Smith. When the roll was
opened, volunteers came in squads and platoons. Thirty names were re-
ceived in addition to those previously obtained. The meeting adjourned
while the excitement was high, to Broadhead Hall, Monday evening.
The meeting on Monday evening was as well attended as the others. It
was addressed by Rev. T. H. Rouse, Major Wm. O. Stevens, Theodore
, Brown, Qr. Master Knapp, Col. A. F. Allen, Capt. Tuckerman, Rev. H.
Benson, and others. Seven more volunteered. At a late hour the meeting
adjourned, sine die. At this series of meetings, the names oi forty-six patriots
were enrolled, and $2,600 were pledged to be raised for them.
In Westfield, on Saturday evening, April 20th, a meeting of the citizens
was held in Hinkley Hall to consider measures for raising volunteers, and
for the support of their families. The hall was densely packed with persons,
from the s^ppl^^outhnto the tottering, gray old man, each eager to contribute,
in some way, to Vhe~ defense of his country. Hon. George W. Patterson
was called to the chair, and addressed the meeting in a stirring and patriotic
manner. E. W. Dennison was cliosen secretary. Messrs. Austin Smith,
Joshua R. Babcock, and Alpheus U. Baldwin, were appointed a committee
to prepare resolutions expressive of the sense of U|Mpeeting. Hon. Henry
A. Prendergast, of Ripley, being present, beinfl^Hed for, addressed the
f U^^ei
WAR HISTORY. 1 89
meeting in an earnest and patriotic manner, and was greeted with enthusiastic
applause. The resolutions reported by the committee, approved the action
of the president in calUng out troops to aid in executing the laws and repos-
sessing the forts and other places and property seized by the insurgents ;
invited all true patriots able to bear arms to volunteer their services ; and
pledged the means necessary for the support of the families of those who
were absent in the service of their country. The resolutions were adopted.
Rev. Jeremiah C. Drake, pastor of the Baptist church, was called out, and
made a thrilling speech. He excited the wildest enthusiasm, and was often
interrupted with loud applause. He was folUowed by Messrs. H. C. Kings-
bury, John C. Long, — Adams, Geo. W. Palmer, and Capt. Thomas Baker,
of company C, who expressed a readiness to lead his company wherever
duty should call. They all spoke with great ardor, and took decided ground
in favor of sustaining the government at all hazards. The chair, on motion,
appointed M. C. Rice, E. W. Dennison, and Wm. Hynes, a committee to
solicit subscriptions to procure a complete officer's outfit for Capt. Baker, as
an expression of the appreciation of the citizens of Westfield of his patriot-
ism in proffering his services for the defense of the government. A call for
volunteers was favorably responded to by a large number of young men. A
subscription for the benefit of the families of volunteers was circulated, and
upwards of $1,000 signed on the spot; and many agreed to furnish military
■suits for those who volunteered.
The circumscribed limits of our history forbid a particular account of war
movements throughout the country. The foregoing sketch of the proceedings
of the meetings in this county, is a fair specimen of the feeling that pervaded
the free states. Never, in any country, was the spirit of patriotism more
clearly displayed or more highly intensified. Its genuineness was evinced
throughout the North, by the immense sacrifices of the people for the defense
and preservation of the Union. Party lines seemed, for a time, at least, to
be obliterated, and all classes manifested a determination to suppress the
rebellion at all hazards.
Further Action of the Government.
On the 29th of April, the president called out more troops, as follows: vol-
unteers for three years' service, 40,000 ; regulars for five years' service,
25,000 ; seamen for five years' service, 18,000.
Although Maryland was not among the seceding states, the rebel element
prevailed in it extensively. The Massachusetts volunteers, passing through
Baltimore, were assaulted by a mob in that city. They .eccupied eleven cars.
Nine cars succeeded, with some difficulty, in reaching the d^pot on the other
side of the city, amidst the hooting, yelling, and loud threats of the mob.
The crowd, unable to exasperate the volunteers, hurled stones, brickbats, and
other missiles, in showers against the cars, smashing the windows and wound-
ing some of the trooD|g|||^he remaining two cars of the train, containing
about 100 men, cut ^^^Bn the main body, were soon encompassed by a
ODU||Th(
w
igo HISTORV OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
mob of several thousand, and attacked ; and some of the soldiers had their
muskets snatched from them. The Massachusetts men, finding the cars
untenable, alighted, and formed a hollow square, advancing with fixed bay-
onets, upon all sides in double quick time, all the while surrounded by the
mob — swelled by the addition of thousands — yelling and hooting. The
military still abstained from firing upon their assailants. The mob then
commenced throwing missiles, and occasionally gave a fire with a revolver or
a musket. Two soldiers were killed and several wounded. The troops, at
last, exasperated by the treatment they had received, commenced returning
the fire singly, killing several, and wounding many of the rioters. The
volunteers, at last, succeeded in reaching the d^pot with their killed and
wounded, and embarked. The calm courage and heroic bearing of the
troops gained them much honor. Effecting their passage through crowded
streets, and opposed by overwhelming odds, was a feat not easily accom-
plished by a body of less than loo men.
Patriotism was not confined to the masses of our citizens ; it found unequiv-
ocal expression in those who were intrusted with the administration of the
government. Of this we have an admirable specimen in the instructions of
Secretary Seward to Wm. H. Dayton, the new minister to France. A few
of the concluding paragraphs are given below. In regard to the answer of
Mr. Faulkner, Mr. Dayton's predecessor, to M. Thouvenul, the French home
minister, relative to the adoption of coercive measures, in which Mr. Faulk-
ner expressed his opinion that a modification of the constitutional compact
would settle the difficulty, or a peaceable acquiescence made to a separate
sovereignty, the secretary says :
" The time when these questions had any pertinency or plausibility has
passed away. The United States waited patiently while their authority was
defied in turbulent assembly and insidious preparations, willing to hope
that mediation on all sides would conciliate and induce the disaffected parties
to return to a better mind ; but the case has now altogether changed. The
insurgents have now instituted revolution with open, flagrant and deadly
war, to compel the United States to acquiesce in the dismemberment of the •
Union.
" The United States have accepted this civil war as an inevitable necessity.
Constitutional remedies for all complaints of the insurgents are still open,
and will remain so ; but on the other hand, the land and naval forces of the
Union have been put into activity to restore federal authority, and save the
Union from danger. You can not be too decided or explicit in making
known to the French government that there is not now, nor has there been,
nor will there be, any or the least idea existing in the government of suffer-
ing a dissolution of this Union to take place in any way whatever. There
will be only one nation and one government, and there will be the same
republic and the same constitutional Union that has already survived a dozen
national changes of government in almost every other country. These will
stand hereafter as they are now, objects of human wonder and human
affection.
" You have seen, on the eve of your departure^i|^Iasticity of the national
spirit, the vigor of the national government, ani^H| lavish devotion of the
iure^H^I:
WAR HISTORY. 191
national treasures to this great cause. Tell M. Thouvenal, with the highest
consideration, that the thought of the dissolution of this Union, peaceably
or by force, has never entered the mind of any candid statesman here, and
it is high time that it be dismissed by statesmen in Europe. I am, etc.,
"Wm; H. Seward."
Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus.
For some time after the commencement of the war, the rebel authorities
seemed to anticipate the plans of our government and the movements of our
armies. It was presumed that information of the same was secretly com-
municated from Washington by persons sympathizing with the enemy. A
man having been arrested as a traitor by Gen. Keira, and put into the custody
of Gen. Cadwallader in Fort McHenry, a writ of habeas corpus was obtained
from Chief Justice Taney to procure the release of the prisoner. Gen. C.
refused to produce the prisoner, responding that he was acting under the
orders of the president, who was authorized by the constitution to suspend
the writ in case of rebellion or invasion. The power of the president to
suspend this writ without the consent of Congress was questioned by many,
among whom were some of the friends of the administration, who, however,
justified the exercise of the power by the executive, on the ground of neces-
sity. The safety of the Union would be in jeopardy if spies were released
on bail, and permitted to renew and continue their traitorous employment.
Hence it was deemed right and just to exercise a doubtful power, rather than
that traitors should triumph through the action of federal judges in sympathy
with the rebellion ; and the case of Jackson at New Orleans was cited in
justification. The views of the president on this subject were subsequently
given by himself, in the following extracts from his message to Congress at
its special session in July :
" Soon after the first call for militia, it was considered a duty to authorize
the commanding general, in proper cases, according to his discretion, to sus-
pend the privilege of the habeas corpus, or, in other words, to arrest and de-
tain, without resort to ordinary processes and forms of law, such individuals
as he might consider dangerous to the public safety. This authority has pur-
posely been exercised but very sparingly. Nevertheless, the legality and pro-
priety of what has been done under it are questioned, and the attention of
the country has been called to the proposition, that one who is sworn to take
care that the laws be faithfully executed, should not himself violate them.
" Before this matter was acted upon, the whole of the laws which were re-
quired to be faithfully executed, were being resisted and failing of execution,
in nearly one-third of the states. Must they be allowed to finally fail of exe-
cution, even had it been perfectly clear that, by the use of the means neces-
sary to their execution, some single law, made in such extreme tenderness of
the citizens' liberty, that practically it relieves more of the guilty than the
innocent, should, to a very limited extent, be violated ?
" To state the question more directly : Are all the laws but one to go un-
executed, and the government itself to go to pieces, lest that one be violated?
Even in such a case.dBQuld not the official oath be broken if the govern-
se.dBOul
rtflpn
raent should be overt^Bfti when it was believed that, disregarding the single
192 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
one would tend to preserve it ? But it was not believed that this question
had been presented. It was not believed that any law was violated. The
provision of the constitution is, the writ of habeas corpus shall not be sus-
pended except when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may
require it. It was decided that we have a case of rebellion, and the public
safety does require the qualified suspension of the privilege of the writ which
was authorized to be made.
" Now it is insisted that Congress, and not the executive, is vested with
the power. But the constitution itself is silent as to which or who is to
exercise the power ; and as the provision was plainly made for a dangerous
emergency, it can not be believed that the framers of the instrument
intended that, in every case, the danger should run its course until Congress
should be called together, the very assembling of which might be prevented,
as was intended in this case by the rebellion."
Enlistments were proceeding rapidly. In our own county, company after
company was announced as ready to leave for their destination. About the
middle of June, 1861, there had been about 225,000 men mustered into
service, and were under pay — about 30,000 of them from this state.
It was a cause of regret as well as discouragement to the fri^ends of 'the
Union, that so many of their fellow-citizens not only manifested great indif-
ference in regard to the result of the war for its preservation, but were
actually engaged in efforts to prevent the successful prosecution of the war.
In June, 1861, a petition was circulated in the city of New York which
many had been led to sign under false pretenses, and from which they wished
to erase their names. A search for the petition was made by the police, who
found and seized it in the office of a Wall street broker. The following is a
copy of it :
'' To his Excellency Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States :
" The undersigned, citizens of New York, beg leave to present to you,
most respectfully and earnestly, the following considerations : —
" While they hold themselves ready to sustain and defend their govern-
ment, and you as its legal head, they respectfully suggest that the only
remaining position for you to prevent the horrors of civil war and preserve
the Union, is to adopt the policy of an immediate general convention of all
the states, as suggested in your Inaugural. This course would secure a
peaceful solution of all our national difficulties ; and if any state should
refuse to join said convention to amend the constitution, or 3id]ust a. peaceable
separation, it would stand unanimously condemned before the civilized world.
" Earnestly deprecating civil war among brethren, we implore and beseech
you to adopt this course, which, you may rest assured, is the real voice of the
people."
About ^ve hundred names had been appended when the police took pos-
session of it. It was carried to the chief's office, where it was left to allow
all whose names had been obtained by fraud to erase them. The petition, it
will be seen, not only proposes a dissolution of the Union, but condemns
every state which refuses to sanction this design.
In his message to Congress, at its special meetug in July, the president
recommended, that there be placed at the control 4^b government, at least
WAR HISTORY. 1 93
400,000 men and $400,000,000, with the view of " making this contest a
short and decisive one." And there appeared throughout the North, a dis-
position to comply with every requisition for all the men and money neces-
sary to subdue the confederates. The session lasted but nine days. Among
the bills passed, were the following : To legalize the past action of the
president ; to authorize the president to call out 500,000 volunteers ; a bill
appropriating about $266,000,000, principally for the prosecution of the
war ; an act to confiscate property used for insurrectionary purposes. The
confiscation act provided that —
" In case of any insurrection against the government that can not be sup-
pressed in the ordinary course of law, and property used or given by per-
mission of its owner to aid and abet the insurrection, shall be lawful subject
of prize and capture wherever found ; and that it shall be the duty of the
president to cause it to be seized, confiscated, and condemned; and that when
any slaveholder shall employ or permit the employment of his slave in aiding
or promoting an insurrection, the master shall forfeit all right to such slave ;
and the slave shall be free."
This bill was opposed as contrary to the provision of the constitution, which
declares, that " no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or
forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted." It is believed no
case involving the principle assumed in this bill, has ever been decided in
the court of the United States.
The preceding pages are but an introduction to the history of the war of
the rebellion. Nor will the reader expect to find, in the few pages which
can be devoted to this subject, more than a mere outline of the history of
a war which furnishes material for a number of volumes of the capacity of
this, which embraces a hundred different topics which claim a notice in
this work.
When the war broke out, many of our wisest men anticipated a short
struggle of sixty or ninety days. Some imagined that the first call for 75,000
men would not need to be supplemented by more than one or two calls for an
equal number. Few supposed that several calls for huTidreds of thousands
would be found necessary to quell the insurrection. Meeting after meeting
was held in nearly every town for raising men and providing for the support
of their families. Nor were our male citizens alone active in labor in pro-
moting the war for the Union ; equal zeal and activity were manifested by
the women. Societies of various names were seen springing up in all parts
of the North, through which material aid was rendered. Sanitary committees
were appointed ; relief circles, aid societies, and other associations were
formed, and in great 'part conducted by ladies ; and through them contri-
butions were made of money, clothing, hospital supplies, and whatever was
required for the comfort of soldiers and their families. Fairs also were held,,
the proceeds of which were appropriated to this grand object of benevolence
and humanity. Not a small portion of the labor of females wjis the pre-
paring of bandages, lint, and savory food, for the wounded and the sick in.
the hospitals. 'M
13
194 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Instead of a war of only two or three months, as some expected, the coun-
try was destined to a sanguinary contest oi four years, which was maintained
at an expense of life and treasure scarcely equaled, in the same space of
time, in any country during the present century. Our armies, during those
years, experienced alternations of success and reverse, until the resources of
the enemy had been nearly exhausted. The successes of Grant, Sheridan
and others, and the triumphal, resistless march of Sherman through the South
to the seaboard, gave signs of the rapid approach of peace. The object of
the labors and the prayers of the friends of the Union was at length attained.
But although the Union has been preserved, the sad results of the war have
not entirely disappeared. Let every friend of a united republic contribute
his influence to hasten the time when a perfect reconciliation between the
parties lately at variance shall have been effected, and when they shall be
not merely members of the same great political family, but in heart and
feeling brethren.
The number of men furnished for the war by Chautauqua, as nearly as
can be ascertained, is about 2,300. The enlistments from the several towns
were nearly as follows :
Arkwright, 33. . Busti, 81. Carroll, 42. Charlotte, 42. Chautauqua, 115.
Cherry Creek, 62. Clymer, 61. Dunkirk, 233. Ellery, 31. Ellicott, 299.
Ellington, 52. French Creek, 51. Gerry, 37. Hanover, 169. Harmony,
163. Kiantone, 17. Mina, 41. Poland, 71. Pomfret, 161. Portland, 66.
Ripley, 42. Sheridan, 46. Sherman, 70. Stockton, 61. Villenova, 84.
Westfield, 93. Total, 2,293.
COUNTY NEWSPAPERS.
The Chautauqua Gazette, the first paper published in the county, was
started at Fredonia, in Jan., 181 7, by James PercivaL It was afterwards
issued by Carpenter & Hull, and by James Hull, until 1822, when it was
suspended. In 1823, it was revived by James Hull, and continued until
1826, when it was united with the Peoples Gazette, from ForestviUe; and its
name was changed to Fredonia Gazette. It was published a short time by
Hull & Snow, and removed by Mr. Hull to Dunkirk, and in a few months to
Westfield, and united with the Chautauqua Phoenix.
The Fredonia Censor was commenced in 182 1 by Henry C. Frisbee, who
continued its publication 17 years. In 1838, it passqd into the hands of E.
Winchester, and was published by him 2 years, and by R. Cunningham i
year. In 1 841, it was bought by Willard McKinstry, and published by W.
McKinstry & Brother, [A. McKinstry;] and at present by W. McKiilstry
& Son, [Louis McKinstry.]
The Western Democrat and Literary Inquirer was started at Fredonia in
183s, by Wm. Verrinder. It was issued successively by Randall, Crosby &
COUNTY NEWSPAPERS. 1 95
Co., and Arba K. Maynard ; and by the latter it was removed to Fan Buren
Harbor in 1837, and issued as The Fan Buren Times. It soon passed into
the hands of W. H. Cutler, and was continued about 2 years. The Settler
was issued a short time in 1840, from the Censor office, by E. Winchester.
The Frontier Express •vi^'i started in June, 1846, by Cuder, Cottle & Perham.
In 1849, it was changed to The Fredonia Express, and published by J. P.
Cobb & Co., and afterwards by Thomas A. Osborne & Co. In 1850, it was
changed to The Chautauqua Union, and was pubUshed a short time by E. F.
Foster. The Fredonia Advertiser was started July 14, 1851, by Tyler &
Shepard. It was afterward published by Levi L. Pratt and J. C. Frisbee,
and later by L. L. Pratt. It is now published by Benton & Cushing, at Fre-
donia and Dunkirk. The Botanic Medical Journal was published a short time
at Fredonia. The Pantheon was published at Fredonia a short time.
The Jamestown Journal was commenced in June, 1826, by Adolphus
Fletcher, and continued by him until 1846. It was then issued by his son,
John W. Fletcher, for two years, when it passed into the hands of F. W.
Palmer, who continued at the head of the establishment until 1858, having
been associated, in the meantime, \vith Francis P. Bailey, Ebene2er P. Upham,
and C. D. Sackett. From 1858 to 1862, it was published by Sackett &
Bishop; and after the death of Mr. Sackett in 1862, it was published by
Bishop Brothers. After the death of Prentice E. Bishop, in 1865, by Cole-
man E. Bishop until 1866 ; then by Bishop and Alex. M. Clark, until June
I, 1868, when Clark became sole proprietor. Jan. i, 1870, he started the
Daily Journal, C. E. Bishop, editor; and in Aug., 187 1, sold a half interest
to Davis H. Waite ; and in March, 1875, his remaining interest to Mr. Waite,
who, in April, 1875, started the Weekly Grange, an agricultural paper. All
still continue. The Chautauqua Republican was started in Jamestown in
1828, by Morgan Bates. Richard K. Kellogg, Lewis C. Todd, Charles
McLean, Alfred Smith, and Wm. H. Cutler, were successively interested in
its publication until 1833, when it passed into the hands of S. S. C. Hamil-
ton ; and its name was changed to the Republican Banner. It was soon after
removed to Mayville, and in a few months discontinued. The Genius of
Liberty was started at Jamestown in 1829, by Lewis C. Todd, and continued
about two years. The Liberty Star was started at Jamestown in 1847, by
Harvey A. Smith. In 1849, it passed into the hands of Adolphus Fletcher,
and was changed to the Northern Citizen. In 1853, John W. Fletcher
became proprietor; and in 1855, it was changed to the Chautauqua Demo-
crat, under which name it was issued by Adolphus Fletcher; James Parker,
editor; from i860, by Fletcher & Co., A. B. Fletcher having been a partner;
from 1862, by Davis H. Waite and A. B. Fletcher, until 1866; from
1866 to 1872, •by A. B. Fletcher, when E. Anderson became a part-
ner of Fletcher. A daily Democrat was soon published, and the firm
was dissolved in 1873. The Daily and Weekly Democrat are both
continued by Mr. Fletcher. The Undercurrent was published at Jamestown
a short time in 1851-52, by Harvey A. Smith. The Jamestown Herald ^■3.%
196 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Started in August, 1852, by Dr. Asaph Rhodes. In 1853, Joseph B. Nessel
became proprietor, removed it to Ellington Center, and changed its name to
the Ellington Luminary. A Swede paper was started in 1874.
The Chautauqua Eagle was commenced at Mayville in 1819 by Robert
J. Curtis and continued about one year. The Mayville Sentinel was started
in 1834, by Timothy Kibbe, and the next year passed into the hands of
Beman Brockway, who continued it ten years. In 1845, it was sold to John
F. Phelps, by whom it is still published. The Republican Banner, formerly
Chautauqua Republican, published at Jamestown, was removed to Mayville,
and published there a few months. The Tocsin, a temperance paper, was
published at Mayville, by Lloyd Mills, a short time, about 1845. In Octo-
ber, 1868, Wright L. Patterson commenced the Chautauqua Republican, and
issued 18 weekly numbers. In September or October, 1870, Byron W.
Southworth moved the Sherman News to Mayville, changed its name to
Chautauqua News, which was continued until March, 1874. The Chautau-
qua Whig was started at Dunkirk in August, 1834, by Thompson & Car-
penter. About 1844, its name was changed to the Dunkirk Beacon ; and it
was discontinued a short time afterward. The Chautauqua Journal was
started at Dunkirk in May, 1850, by W. L. Carpenter. In a short time its
name was changed to the Dunkirk Journal, and was issued by him until
18 — , when it passed into the hands of Isaac George, who published it for a
time. It has for several years been published by W. McKinstry & Son, of
Fredonia, its present proprietors. The Dunkirk Press and Argus, a continua-
tion of the Western Argus, removed from Westfield in 1858, was published
several years. The Panama Herald was commenced in August, 1846, by
Dean & Hurlbut, and continued by Stewart & Pray until 1848.
The Western Star was started in Westfield, 1826, by Harvey Newcomb,
and published two years. It was soon after revived, as the Chautauqua
Phoenix, by HuU & Newcomb. In 1831, its name was changed to the
American Eagle; and it was issOed by G. W. Newcomb. In 1838, it was
changed to the Westfield Courier, and was issued a short time by G. W.
Bliss. The Westfield Lyceum, started in 1835, was published a short time
by Sheldon & Palmer. The Western Farmer was started at Westfield in
1835, by Bliss & Knight, and was continued about two years. The Westfield
Advocate ytas commenced in May," 184 1, and in a few months was discon-
tinued. The Westfield Messenger was started in August, 1841, by C. J. J. &
T. Ingersoll. In 1851, it passed to Edgar W. Dennison, and was changed
to the Westfield Transcript, which, in 185-, passed to Buck & Wilson, who
continued it one year. The Westfield Republican was commenced April 25,
1855, by M. C. Rice, by whom it was continued until 1873, when it passed
to Joseph A. & C. Frank Hall ; and in a few months C. Fr^k Hall, its pres-
ent publisher, became its sole proprietor. The Western Argus was started
at Westfield in 1857, by John F. Young. In about one year it was removed
to Dunkirk, and changed to the Dunkirk Express and Argus, edited by
James S. Sherwood, and continued about a year.
OLD SETTLERS FESTIVALS. 1 97
TTie Peoples Gazette was started at Forestville in 1824, by Wm. S. Snow.
In 1826, it was united with The Chautauqua Gazette at Fredonia. The
Western Intelligencer was published at Forestville a short time in 1833.
The Silver Creek Mail was started in 1848, by John C. Van Duzen. It
was changed, in 1852, to The Home Register, and was published by James
Long. In 1854, Samuel Wilson became proprietor, and changed it to The
Silver Creek Gazette, and continued it until 1856, when it was discontinued.
In August of that year, it was revived as The Lake Shore Mirror, by H. M.
Morgan, and was afterward published by George A. Martin.
The Ellington Luminary, changed from The Jamestown Herald, and re-
moved from Jamestown in 1853, was continued until 1856. The Philoma-
thean Exponent was issued at Ellington by the students of the academy in
1852.
The Western New Yorker was started in 1853, in Sherman, edited by
Patrick McFarland ; discontinued in 1855. The Sherman News was com-
menced some years ago, (the year not ascertained;) and in 1870 was re-
moved to Mayville, its name changed to Chautauqua News, and published
there about twc^years.
OLD SETTLERS' FESTIVALS.
Reunion at Fredonia.
The nth day of June, 1873, will never be forgotten by those who were
so fortunate as to be present at the Reunion of " Old Settlers," at Fredonia.
It was an experiment, and many entertained doubts of its success. An
earlier day for the meeting had been announced ; but a later day was fixed
upon as more likely to secure a fuller attendance.
At an early hour of the day, the people from all parts of the county, and
not a few from other counties and states, former residents of Chautauqua,
came together to exchange salutations once more with their old pioneer
neighbors and friends. The streets were soon thronged ; and the air was
made vocal with joyful greetings, as friends met friends, after years of
separation.
The exercises were appointed to be held at Union Hall, which, after it
was opened, was filled in a few moments, without any apparent diminution
of the crowd outside. As far as possible, those over 80 were seated in front; v
those between 70 and 80, next ; and so on till most of the young folks were
driven out, and the platform overlooked a sea of gray heads. The crowded
room was called to order at 10.45 ^- "i-' ^.nd A. C. Gushing, Esq., president
of the village, delivered the following Address of Welcome :
" If out of the abundance of the heart the tongue always found utterance,
I might hope that my lips on this occasion would be touched with a little of
igS HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
that inspiration, flowing from earnest and profound feeling, which sometimes
lends eloquence to those who, like myself, possess neither utterance nor the
power of speech.
"Friends of to-day, friends of former years, friends whose venerable heads
are now white with the snows of more than seventy winters, friends who have
clasped hands in genial companionship with our fathers, we bid you welcome
here to-day. If but few of those who started with you on the march of life
are left to extend their hearty greeting, we, their descendants, who stand in
their places, receive you to our homes and our hearts with grateful recogni-
tion, as the representatives of a generation whose hardy virtues, courage and
endurance laid the foundation of all the advantages, all the prosperity we now
enjoy. It is the seed sown by your hands in the solitudes of the forest amid
hardships, privation and toil, which we reap in the glorious harvest of a high
cultivation, surrounded by its comforts, its luxuries, and its refinements.
"And an honorable welcome, a welcome tender, kind and true as their own
brave loving hearts, to the noble women, who in those early years, stood side
by side with husbands, brothers and sons, sharing their hardships and light-
ening their toils with pleasant smiles and encouraging words — women as
heroic and self-sacrificing as those whom poets and historians have made
immortal, although their virtues are written only in the hearts of those who
love them. •
" Some of you present to-day have witnessed the wonderful transformation
which, within the allotted time of man's existence, has changed the whole
face of the county. You retain vivid recollections of the early homes of the
pioneers, and of the struggles and privations they endured. You also have
pleasant remembrances of happy days and the warm friendship existing be-
tween neighbors, though living miles apart, and making visits through the
woods with ox-teams over roads marked only by blazed trees — softer memo-
ries of quilting frolics where they ate pumpkin pie and doughnuts, and
' courted their sweethearts — pretty girls — ^just fifty years ago.' But many of
your number have not been spared to note the march of improvement which
has caused the ' wilderness and the solitary place to rejoice and blossom as
the rose,' has tracked the once pathless forests with roads on which the iron
horse obliterates distance ; has raised beautiful temples to the living God,
where once stood the humble meeting-house of the early worshipers ; has
built costly edifices of learning, the elegance of the structures only inferior
to the grandeur of the objects to which they are dedicated ; has peopled the
county with a busy and prosperous population ; has dotted it with thriving
towns and villages, the seats of wealth with all its attendant luxuries and
elegancies ; has broken the silence of the solitudes with the ceaseless roar of
machinery, the blast of the furnace, and the hundred inventions of science
and art.
" Yes, my friends, we are proud of our old Chautauqua. Her hills and
plains are dear to us. We love her clear lakes and sparkling rivulets. Gen-
■^ erous nature has indeed been bountiful, and we feel that our ' lines have been
laid in pleasant places.' We modestly exult in the high character for intel-
ligence and enterprise borne by her people. Nor in looking over the long
list o* names made prominent in our country's history, need we blush for the
place held there by Chautauqua county. Amid that array in positions of
high trust and responsibility stand honorably conspicuous many of her citizens.
Of offices of highest dignity and honor bestowed by our state, she holds a
full and worthy share. Some of her sons have been called to fill high and
OLD SETTLERS FESTIVALS. 1 99
exalted positions in the councils and conduct of national affairs. She claims
as hers the venerated names of some, who, having dropped the harness of
earthly toil, now rest from their labors and sleep in honored and honorable
repose.
" We are assembled to-day in commemoration of the merits and memories
of these and such as these, the early founders of our county, to whose firm
courage, perseverance and energy we owe, under God, all the blessings with
which we are so richly endowed. * * * To our departed pioneer heroes
we render not worship, but the affectionate remembrance and profound
veneration which their merits and our deep obligations demand. To the
veteran band, whom it is our privilege still to retain in our midst, we can
only say, that the tribute of applause and grateful respect which we tender
to them and to their departed companions, in the perils and hardships of
pioneer life, Sows straight from earnest hearts, and is the utterance of
honest lips.
" The establishment of an annual festival, which shall call friends together
in hospitable and pleasant reunion, we conceive to be a happy idea, and a
laudable attempt to keep bright the links of social intercourse between those
who once may have been close companions, or old neighbors, but are now
sundered by the changes of time and circumstance. Each passing year, we
trust, shall again bring us together, at the period of the Old Settlers' Annual
Festival, and tighten the bands of good fellowship and unity. Like the
patriarchs of old, we will spread our yearly ' feast of fat things,' and, with
old friends and neighbors, drink ' the wine of gladness.' " •
After his address, for the purpose of organization, Mr. Gushing " nominated
a gentleman as president of the day who has often held positions of dignity
and responsibility in the state and county, and who has ever discharged his
duties to the approbation of all — Hon. Geo. W. Patterson, of Westfield."
The nomination was adopted unanimously. Gov. Patterson was conducted
to the chair, and responded as follows :
"Mr. Chairman, and Fellow- Citizens : For the honor which the commit-
tee of arrangements have conferred upon me in offering my name as pre-
siding officer, I tender my grateful acknowledgments. With my fellow-citi-
zens from other localities I wish to congratulate you, one and all, that the
people of Fredonia have invited you, not only to this reunion, but to the
hospitality of their homes. Great credit is due them for their efforts which
will be appreciated.
" Fellow-citizens : It is about seventy years since the first white man settled
in the county. * * * In July, 1802, the first infant child was bom at
Westfield. I had hoped to have the first bom of the county here ; I passed
him to-day in a private conveyance — (voice in the audience — " He is in the
village.") Bring him up. (Orson Stiles : " We will ; he is being escorted in
by a four-horse team.") His name is John McHenry.
" I know something of the hardships and privations of the early pioneers,
although but little of the full reality. In 1822-3-4, I built fanning mills in
Ripley, where I tried to raise the wind, with what success many of you know.
There may be gentlemen here who settled in Chautauqua in 1804 and' 1805.
Just think of the improvements which they have witnessed. Not a foot of
land was then owned, except one farm. The first title given was to Alexander
Cochran, of Ripley, in 1804, but contracts were recorded prior to that. The
history of Westfield shows that for some families that came in during those
200 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
years, the first table spread was a stone on a stump. It is comparatively but
a few years since land-holders owned their land in fee simple. I see before
me faces that then hardly expected to own lands in fee simple. As late as
1841, when I took charge of the land-office at Westfield, there was due
$1,500,000, and 95, 000 acres of untaken land. To-day there are a hundred
men before me that could pay that debt. I know not the arrangements of
the committee, but suppose others are to follow me, and will yield the floor.''
At the conclusion of Gov. Patterson's remarks, Mr. Stiles spoke in behalf
of the multitude outside, suggesting that the afternoon session be held in the
park ; and he would arrange for seats immediately. The suggestion was
adopted unanimously.
C. F. Matteson, chairman of committee of arrangements, announced the
following named gentlemen as vice-presidents and secretaries :
Vice-Fresidents — Levi Baldwin, Arkwright ; Eliakim Garfield, Busti ;
Nathan Cleland, Charlotte; Thomas A. Osborne, Chautauqua ; Alva Billings,
Cherry Creek; Edwin Eaton, Carroll; Nehemiah Royce, Clymer ; Walter
Smith, Dunkirk; Abner Hazeltine, Ellicott; Charles B. Green, Ellington;
Abijah Clark, Ellery ; Silas Terry, French Creek; Sidney E. Palmer, Gerry ;
Amos R. Avery, Hanover ; Daniel Williams, Harmony ; Aaron J. Phillips,
Kiantone; Luke Grover, Mina ; Joseph Clark, Foland; Elisha Fay, Fort-
land; Wm. Risley, Pom/ret; Charles B. Brockway, Ripley ; Jonathan S.
Pattison, Sheridan; Piatt Osbom, Sherman; Harlow Crissey, Stockton;
Obadiah Warner, Villenova; Thomas B. Campbell, Westfield.
Robert Miles, of Warren, Pa., who settled within a mile of the Chautauqua
county line in 1797, was also made a vice-president.
Secretaries — C. E. Benton, of the Advertiser and Union; Louis McKins-
try, of the Fredonia Censor; A. B. Fletcher, of ih^ Jamestown Daily Demo-
crat; Davis H. Waite, of \h^ Jamestown Daily Journal ; C. F. Hall, of the
Westfield Republican; John F. Phelps, of the Mayville Sentinel; D. A. A.
Nichols, reporter for Young's History of the County.
Rev. T. Stillman, D. D., was called upon to offer prayer, upon the conclu-
sion of which Judge Foote said he had a favor to ask. He wanted all
present to join with him in singing the first verse of old " Coronation : "
" All hail the power of Jesus' name ! " etc.
Judge Foote, in the interval of business, addressed the meeting. He
spoke of his " love of old Chautauqua," and of his endeavors to preserve its
history, pointing to the twenty-six large folio volumes of historic scrap-books on
the stage as evidence of his labor. He spoke with deep feehng and earnest-
ness. Among other things, he said : " I want a history that commemorates
your virtues and hardships before I came into the county. I love these gray
heads, many of -them I have known since I came into the county. I pro-
posed that hymn because I know you are a Christian people. We all believe
alike in the foundation — Christ Jesus. I reside in New Haven, but live in
Chautauqua. Here I am to be buried — have so provided in my will. This is
the last meeting for many of us, but no matter, if we are ripe for the harvest."
The chairman introduced to the audience the first man born of Chautau-
OLD SETTLERS' FESTIVALS. 20I
qua "dust." The Fredonia Musical Association then gave "Auld Lang
Syne" with excellent effect, under lead of Prof. Riggs — Mrs. E. F. Swart at
the organ.
For the purpose of estimating how many decades of ages could be accom-
modated at the first table, those over ninety years old were called on to
stand up, then those over eighty. The following named responded :
Those over po — Elijah Fay, of Portland; Bartlett Luce, of Pomfret ;
Timothy Goulding, 91, of Sheridan; Charles F. Arnold, 93, of Sheridan.
From 80 to po — Isaac Bussing, Pomfret, 89 ; Ama Wood, Pomfret, 82 ;
Charles P. Young, Ripley, 82 ; Allen Denny, Stockton, 82 ; Samuel Rock-
wood, Sheridan, 86 ; John Seymour, Pomfret, 80 ; Stephen Ross, Arkwright,
87 ; Rev. John P. Kent, Lima, 80 ; Hugh Harper, Charlotte, 85 ; Ezekiel
Gould, Chautauqua, 84; Aaron Smith, Stockton, 80; Jeremiah Curtis, Stock-
ton, 80 ; Darius Knapp, Pomfret, 84 ; David Griggs, Pomfret, 84 ; Silas
Spencer, Westfield, 84 ; Abram Dixon, Westfield, 86 ; Beqj^min H. Dick-
son, Ripley, 81 ; Chester Brown, Pomfret, 86 ; Naomi Miller, Stockton, 83 ;
David Parker, Perrysburg, 80; Orpha Burritt, Fredonia, 81; D. J. Matteson,
Fredonia, 81 ; Mr. Lazelle, Stockton, 85 ; Henry Smith, Charlotte, 82 ; Thos.
Magee, Hanover, 87 ; T. B. Campbell, Westfield, 85; J. Ackley, Pine Grove,
Pa., 83 ; Abner Hazeltine, Jamestown, 80 ; Joseph Davis, Pomfret, 80 ;
Polly Wilson, Pomfret, 80; Samuel Cleland, 85 ; John Cleland, 81 ; Nathan
Cleland, 78, of Charlotte, and Oliver Cleland, 79, of Berlin, O. ; Hoel
Beadle, Westfield, 80; James Billings, Chautauqua, 82; with others subse-
quently recorded, making upwards of forty.
Of those between 70 and 80 years of age, the record, though said to be
incomplete, shows nearly 150.
Gov. Patterson then announced that it was time to go to dinner. He had
his grandfather's time-piece with him, which was never wound up but once,
and that was ninety years ago, but it had always kept time, and does now
just as accurately as it did then. There was some curiosity manifested to see
such a wonderful time-piece, which was only satisfied when the Governor
held out his old sun dial. Newell Putnam, of Conneaut, O., said, " Here is
one that had to be wound up once in a while, but it is a hundred years old,
and keeps time yet," and sent up a venerable silver watch for exhibition.
Mrs. A. C. Russell, of Dunkirk, then came upon the stage in ancient costume
and sang a solo, which she said Judge Foote taught her forty-five years ago.
The bonnet worn by Mrs. Russell, was the same that was made in Fredonia,
in 1805, for Mrs. Thomas Fargo.
The president, vice-presidents, and all present over 80 years old, were then
invited to form iij procession for dinner ; and they passed out of the hall to
where the Stockton military band was in waiting to escort them to the
academy, in which the collation was served. Judge Foote and lady, though
yet under the age of 80, were given a place among those who headed this
noble band of octogenarians.
The meeting, in charge of Mr. C. F. Matteson, chairman of the committee
202 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
of arrangements, continued in session during the absence of the officers.
Several letters responding to invitations to attend the "Old Settlers' " gather-
ing, some of which, with an interesting paper written by Mr. Wm. Risley, of
Fredonia, were read by Judge Emory F. Warren and the chairman.
Rev. Dr. Stillman, of Dunkirk, then addressed the meeting, giving his
recollections of coming to the county in 1830, when he was 32 hours staging
and footing it from Buffalo to the Haskins tavern in Sheridan, 40 miles.
The United States mail from Buffalo for all the west was then carried by
•stage, usually in two bags ; one large for the west distributing office ; one
small for the way offices, both bags occupying only part of the space under
the driver's seat. Now it is no uncommon thing, any day, to see fifteen
tons of westward mail on the platform at Dunlcirk for the illimitable west.
For several years of his early residence at Dunkirk, he had authority from the
postmaster to bring down the mail to that village when it reached Fredonia
behind time ; a^ he had carried it many a time in his hat without incon-
venience. Now a single business house receives a daily average of letters
the whole village used to receive in a week. Dr. S. gave also a list of the
prices of the various kinds of tavern beverages, copied from M. W. & T. G.
Abell's bar book, showing the enormous amounts paid by the citizens for
strong drink, but omitting the names of the persons charged ; saying, how-
ever : " Nearly every man in town was charged with grog on that book."
At I o'clock, the elder guests having got through, their juniors — between
70 and 80 years of age — formed in line for the tables which were reset for
them in the academy; and the meeting adjourned to the Common, tore-
assemble at 3 o'clock. The intervening time was spent in exhibiting the
numerous relics which many were impatiently waiting for an opportunity to
examine.
After the persons of 70 years had dined, the tables, which accommodated
about 150 at once, were set aboilt twice more ; and victuals were also
passed round in baskets to the crowd outside, unable to enter, for an hour
and a half There had been prepared forty pans of baked beans, with a
proportionate quantity of meats, breadstuffs, pies, cakes, etc. If any went
away hungry, it was not from a lack of provisions, as there were many left ;
nor from inattention on the part of the committee in charge, whose chairman,
G. D.Hinkley, and secretary, J. C. Mullett, were highly commended for
their skin as engineers of a public collation. The committee's task was an
arduous one, but was well performed. In addition to the collation, several
hundred persons were made welcome guests at the homes of citizens.
Probably considerably more than 1,000 persons were fed at the academy ;
and still there were provisions left, many baskets fulL ,
An old fashiotud dinner was served during the intermission. At about
2 p. m.. Gov. Patterson and wife, Judge Foote and wife. Judge Warren and
wife, Sam. Cleland, and the mother of Horace White, Oliver Cleland, and
Polly Wilson (the Polly that was hired girl for Zattu Gushing when the tim-
ber on the land where Union Hall now is was being cleared off), Mrs. Judge
OLD SETTLERS FESTIVALS. 203
Hazeltine, seated themselves on such slab benches and stools as some of
them had sat upon in " auld lang syne " at the old Wilson table placed upon '
the stage of Union Hall. The table was set with the old china and pewter
dishes ; and the bill of fare comprised such solid food as boiled pork (with
the fat in) and greens, Indian bread and pudding, a johnny cake baked on a
board, pies and cakes from the old recipes of '76, and tea and coffee — all of
which seemed to be relished. The feelings of the guests were expressed by
Gov. Patterson in the following sentiment : " The early settlers of Chautau-
qua and their entertainers at Fredonia — may all live and prosper ; " to which
Horace White responded : " The venerable pioneers of Chautauqua, whose
enterprising, sterling virtues and industry have brought the country from its
wilderness to be the most flourishing in the state in its agricultural interests.''
A Silver 'Creek miss, dressed as Sally of yore might have been, did the
serving satisfactorily.
Afternoon Session. — After music by the two bands, President Patterson
requested the attention of the multitude reassembled, when A. C. Cushing,
Esq., offered a resolution to appoint a committee of seven, of which the
president was to be one, to agree upon a permanent organization, and upor
the next place of meeting. The chair appointed E. F. Warren, Alvin Plumb,
J. L. Bugbee, Obed Edson, Abner Hazeltine, and C. F. Matteson. .
Gov. Patterson here exhibited a revolutionary soldier's canteen. It is made
of a section of an ox horn made tight at each end with wooden stoppers.
He said they could all see by that what the old settlers meant when they
talked of taking a " pretty good horn." >
A noteworthy feature of this assemblage was the exhibition of relics, which,
in respect to their number, variety, rareness, and antiquity, have probably
never been equaled on a similar occasion, in any part of this or in any other
state. Of the oil portraits and photographs, there were about 100. Of the
relics, the mention of them, with the briefest description, occupied four
columns of a county paper, and were several hundreds in number. Believing
that nothing done or exhibited at the meeting would be read with deeper
interest, it was intended to select from the long list a considerable number
for insertion in the History; but the difficulty of making a proper discrimina-
tion in the selection, and the want of space, forbid the carrying of 'this in-
tention into effect. A small number only are given : .
Two volumes of the earlier newspapers of the county, between tfe years
1 81 7 and 1827 ; and several New England papers of 1780-90 ; also a copy
of the Connecticut Courant, of Oct. 29, 1764, in which is the following
paragraph :
" A surprising concatination of events in one week. Published a Sunday ;
married a Tuesday; had a child a Tuesday; stole a horse a Wednesday;
banished a Thursday; died a Friday; buried a Saturday — all in one week."
An old fashioned side-saddle, by Mrs. Barmore, the history of which she
can trace back 130 years. How much older it is she does not know.
A chair by Buell ToUes, of Sheridan, brought into the county by his father
204 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
in 1826, and over 100 years old. Although old style, it is very easy sitting.
Also the old fashioned tinder-box. The process of striking fire with the old
flint was many times repeated, to the great curiosity of the young folks, while
the old ones would exclaim, " How many times I have done that." Also a
pewter platter over 100 years old ; also the old fashioned foot stove that used
to keep the church pews warm, nearly 100 years old.
The identical axe that cut the first tree felled in Fredonia, by John Bartoo,
of Forestville. It was one of the tools Col. Bartoo used to build a mill dam
and saw-mill for Hezekiah Barker.
^ pewter basin by Mrs. Joy Handy — part of the outfit of the wedding of
the Major's grandparents. When New London was burned during the Revo-
lutionary war, this basin was hid with other valuables under a stone wall, and
thus saved ; also a chopping knife belonging to the same outfit, and a toilet
spread made by an immediate descendant of Pocahontas, 60 years ago.
Plated sugar tongs, 100 years old, by Miss Jane Osborne ; also two needle-
books, 150 years old — regular "grandma's" style; also Thomas Osborne's
(her father,) commission as captain in 1806 ; also a summons to her father to
attend the Great Wigwam of Tammany, Oct. 12, 1809, and the cockade
worn by him in the war of 18 12.
A canteen of the war of 1776, by Wm. B. Griswold; it was carried by
Stephen Bush, of Ct., afterwards of Sheridan, and also in the war of 1812,
by Wm. Griswold and Nicholas Mallett, both of Sheridan.
The old pocket compass owned by Capt. Robert Kidd, presented by Dr.
L. Clark, of Mayville ; also a razor owned by Jonathan Clark in the 1 7th
' century.
A splint-bottomed, high-backed chair, 100 years old, by Rowland Porter.
Another by Mrs. E. S. Kellogg — an arm chair, (green,) a portion of the first
parlor suit made in Oneida county, in 1780. Another of 18 11, by H. H.
Lamphier.
A bed pan of Mrs. Edmund Day, of Dunkirk, 200 years old ; it wis
brought here by Eli Drake — one of the first settlers.
An Ulster Co. Gazette, oli Jan. 4, 1800, in mourning for George Washing-
ton, by Mrs. J. D. Andrews.
Mrs. T. W. Stevens presents a needle-book in daily use 60 years ago ; a
pieca of Capt. Phineas Stevens' dressing gown — Capt. S. was a surgeon in
Burgoyn'e's army in 1775 ; a wallet worked before 1770; worked embroidery
done before the Revolution; and patterns and bobbins for lace making in use
during the Revolution.
Mrs. Woodward Stevens presented baby clothes made over 100 years ago,
the mitts "grandmother" Durkee was baptized in, in July, 1782, and a girl's
and boy's cap.
A pardon aud amnesty document, granted to a Scotch refugee by the King
of France, July 18, 1619, number 65, was sent from Berrien Springs, Mich.,
by Worthy Putnam. He discovered it curiously. There had come to his
family a Scotch mirror of antique and curious framework, but as it was
OLD SETTLERS FESTIVALS. 205
unfashionable, as his wife thought, she took a fancy to have its heavy and fine
plate reframed, and accordingly sent it to the cabinet-maker for that purpose.
The workman, in taking off the backboard, found this document neatly
folded and safely ensconced between the board and mirror plate. That
important state paper of regal execution and authority, had safely rested in
its ingenious and unique hiding place, probably more than 200 years. What
motive induced the holder of this paper to conceal it so securely, is not ap-
parent, but that there was some strong inducement to this end is quite certain.
The document is written in French, executed entirely by the pen, neatly and
elegantly, and on paper of the manufacture of the i6th century, of itself
curious. It is much discolored by time, and the texture become fragile, yet
the writing is distinct, and the ink stains have a remarkable integrity. This
relic of the Bourbon dynasty, and the manner of its concealment and pre-
servation, give to this aged regal document a curious interest. It was a part
of an heirloom in the family of Maj. Samuel Sinclair, of Sinclairville, until
1847, when it came into the possession of Mr. Putnam.
An Indian snow shoe taken from a Massachusetts tribe of Indians about
200 years ago, and kept in the Aldeh family.
A two-gallon ship pitcher.
St. Jerome's Translation of the Bible, printed in 1501 ; a " Bibliotheca,''
1509, by Geo. W. Lewis, and other old books by Prof A. Bradish."
A 'true pattern of the "mutton leg sleeve," as worn in 1832, by Mrs. D.
R. Barker.
Aaron Smith, of Stockton, presented a Bible 107 years old, that was his
grandfather's, his vest 53 years old, a wooden block of 12 sides made by '
Ebenezer Smith 85 years ago, a concordance belonging to his great-grand-
father 154 years ago, the powder horn Rev. Ebenezer Smith carried in the
French and Indian war the year before Gen. Wolfe was killed.
A cannon ball, (a ten-pounder,) a relic of the battle of Lake Erie, picked
up from the bottom of the lake in 1834, by James H. Lake.
Yam spun on the first cotton spinning machine in the United States, made
by S. Slater, about 80 years ago, at Pautucket, R. I. It was presented by
N. Draper ; also a power-loom shuttle.
A conch shell dinner horn, 150 years old, by A. Eaton.
Patterns for walking mud shoes brought here in 1822 — ^used before; pre-
sented by Miss Anna Jones. Also a Bible printed in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, in black letter; three Philadelphia Repositories of 1801-2-3; a
drawing book of 1799.
A powder horn of 1776, by Mark Markham, of Villenova, marked "Benj.
Markham — his horn.''
Copy of Blue Laws of Connecticut, by Mrs. Eliza Greene.
A very large pair of shears, on which is sunk the number 1428, supposed
to be the year when it was made ; presented by Willis Royce, of Ripley.
It can be traced back four or five generations. If a genuine article, it must
be a trans-Atlantic product.
206 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
A teapot 50 years old, by Mrs. Timothy Goulding, of Sheridan ; a linen
apron 115 years old; also an old fashioned bonnet — in fashion in 1828 — a
real curiosity.
Flax raised by John Pellett, in the Wyoming Valley, Pa., 1778, owned by
A. T. Mead, of Portland; also cloth, (silk,) made in England in 1650 that
has been through nine generations. At the time of the Wyoming massacre
it was buried and lay in the ground five years.
The Evening Session. — The tables of relics were taken out of Union
Hall so as to leave the whole space in the evening, but every nook and cor-
ner was early filled with people; although a large share of the crowd had gone
home at the close of the afternoon session, not half of those who remained
could gain admission.
As advertised, the evening was principally devoted to ancient harmony,
and the Fredonia Musical Association, under the lead of Prof Riggs, made
it very enjoyable. Montgomery, Coronation, New Jerusalem, andjhe other
old tunes were interspersed with remarks by various speakers.
Hon. Orson Stiles, in behalf of the committee of arrangements, returned
thanks to all who had aided in making this reunion a great occasion they
would be glad to remember all their lives. It had cost the committee some
work and more anxiety, but whether a success or a failure, was then demon-
strated. ' He hoped that this was but the beginning of similar meetings, and
continued eloquently upon the duty of recreation, and our glorious county
and country.
Judge Hazeltine gave a history of his advent in the county in 18 15. Most
of the way from Buffalo was traveled on the beach of the lake. When at
Cattaraugus creek, he was taken prisoner by the Indians, growing out of a
trouble between Capt. Mack, tavern-keeper at Irving, and one May bee,
nearly opposite him, as to which should control the ferriage. The Indians
sided with Maybee. He was finally ferried over by Capt. Strong, father of
the well known N. F. Strong. The next day he arrived at Fredonia, a
hamlet of a dozen houses. But when he inquired for Jamestown, they
knew nothing about it, but had heard of a place called The Rapids. After
two days of severe travel, he found the place by way of Cross Roads and
Mayville. Now it takes one or two hours. There were then 3,000 or 4,000
people scattered over the county ; and the present village of Jamestown had
fifteen families. The Judge continued for some minutes recounting the
noble traits of character of the pioneers as he knew them — such men as
Thomas McClintock, James Prendergast, Judge Cushing, Dr. White, the two
Ortons and the Barkers. It was no occasion for wonder that, under a kind
Providence, the county had prospered after its settlement.
Judge Hazeltine then moved a vote of thanks to the citizens of Fredonia
for inaugurating the reunion, and entertaining the guests so hospitably ;
which was unanimously adopted.
Mr. A. C. Cushing tendered the thanks of the committee and citizens to
Gov. Patterson for his very satisfactory services as presiding oflicer.
OLD settlers' festivals. 207
Gov. Patterson in response gave, among some interesting reminiscences,
that relating to the history of the big black walnut tree at Silver Creek. [A
history of this wonderful tree had been written, and is elsewhere inserted.]
In 182 1, he took a westward trip to Indianapolis. There were but two log
huts there then. For forty miles his road was marked trees. There was not
a post coach west of Buffalo, nor a mail carrier except on horseback or on
foot. This was fifty-two years ago. Now look at Ohio. Railroads and tele-
graphs were not known, and there were no canals. But he looked for greater
improvement for the fifty years to come. But one thing we shall not be
excelled in — lightning will not carry their messages faster than it does ours.
He again express.ed his pleasure at the success which had crowned the efforts
of Fredonia to inaugurate this reunion. It was a thousand times better
than the managers could have expected.
The Cornet Band then gave " America " with fine effect, and the meeting
adjourned sine die.
Reunion at Forestville.
It was hardly to be expected, that, within three months after the great
gathering at Fredonia, so large a number of the settlers could be collected in
a comer town, bounded on only two sides by other towns of the same county,
and the other two sides by other counties and the lake. But the event
showed that the spirit manifested on the first occasion had not subsided.
Considering the additional fact that it was announced only as a " Hanover
Reunion," it exceeded the most sanguine expectations of its projectors. The
number of persons on the ground — though not all at any one time — was
estimated at 3,000 to 4,000 ; by some at a much higher number. The
reunion was held at the Driving Park, a mile and a half north firom Forest-
ville— a beautiful location, comprising twenty-four acres, half woods ; and to
a large portion of the trees were attached the horses of those who came.
The day was clear and pleasant, and, as will be recollected, was the anniver-
sary of Commodore Perry's victory over the British fleet on the neighboring
lake, just sixty years after its occurrence, September 10, 1813.
But few relics were exhibited, excepting a set of china, presented by
Nathan P. Tanner, made to order for his father in Canton, China, eighty-
five years ago.
At 11.30 a. m.. Dr. Avery, from the stand, nominated Wm. D. Talcott, of
Silver Creek, president of the day ; and A. R. Avery, J. S. Pattison, N. P.
Tanner, E. Jewett, Uriah Downer, Artemas Clothier, Benj. Horton, and
Alanson Tower were chosen vice-presidents ; and A. G. Parker, secretary.
An appropriate prayer was offered by Rev. A. Frlnk, of Corry, Pa., who
was an early resident of the town. His first sermon was preached in the old
brick school-house in Forestville, since demolished.
Rev. H. P. Shepard, brother of Mrs. C. D. Angell, followed with the
reading of an address of welcome, written by Mrs. Angell.
208
HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
Fervid summer heats are over,
Drouths, consuming blade and clover —
All the land its thirst is slaking.
And to beauty new awaking.
Gathered is the harvest golden,
Into garners new and olderi.
And the haymow's fragi'ant treasure
Heaped and pressed in bounteous measure.
Luscious fruit in rare deposits
Gleam in careful housewife's closets ;
All the summer sunbeam's flushes,
'Prisoned in their ruby blushes.
Restful days of rare September,
Glowing like some ruddy ember
That on hearthstone prostrate lying,
Warms and brightens in its dying.
Restful days! whose sunny gladness
Takes no tinge of coming sadness,
Days of all the year most fitting
For this welcome and this greeting.
How shall we our homage render?
How pay tribute true and tender
Unto those, who, long abiding
Slow release, are gently chiding ?
Unto those who toy and linger
With caressing, patient finger
Over tasks of homely beauty
Wrought by them in tireless duty?
Long they bore life's heat and burden.
With no meed of praise or guerdon,
But their souls in hope possessing
Waited for the promised blessing.
While with faithful hands and willing
Their allotted tasks fulfilUng,
Falt'ring in allegiance, never
To their stem and proud endeavor —
Forests felling, highways breaking,
Gardens from the deserts making,
Wild morass and swamps reclaiming.
All the tangled wildwood training,
Rank and stubborn growths subduing,
Wells of living water hewing —
By no pain or sickness daunted.
By no fruitless visions haunted,
By no false ambitions goaded,
Nor by festering cares corroded.
Strong in purpose — pure in living,
All of self to duty giving —
Men of grand heroic daring,
Shrinking from no burden-bearing.
By their self-denial shaming
All our feeble, shallow aiming,
By their rigid, stern unswerving,
Us to nobler action nerving,
By their calm and patient doing
High resolves in us renewing,
Lo ! they stand before the portal
Of the golden gate immortal,
And the fruits of toil and reaping
They bequeath unto our keeping.
Goodly acres, broad and teeming.
Vineyards on the hillside gleaming.
Grassy uplands gently swelling,
Crowned by many a peaceful dwelling.
Tastefiil homes and schools and churches,
Streamlets spanned by graceful arches.
Maple shadowed drives enclosing,
Towns in forest shade reposing.
Railroads Unking lake and ocean,
Harnessed lightning's fiery motion.
Docile, wait to do our pleasure.
Bear our words and bring our treasure.
'Heritors of untold treasure,
Without price, or stint or measure.
Let us show, by worthy living.
How we prize this princely giving.
Let this day and place be holy.
Come with reverent hearts and lowly.
Bid no thought unworthy enter
Where our love and duty center.
Here shall children's happy faces.
Maiden's sweet and tender graces,
Manhood's strength and youth's ambition.
All unite in loving mission.
All unite to crown with glory.
Heads with many winters hoary,
Counting all our labor leisure
If it brings you aught of pleasure.
All with outstretched arms receive you.
And a thousand welcomes give you ;
To our hearts and homes we take you.
Proud, our honored guests to make you.
With us — aye — but yet not of us.
Far removed, beyond, above us,
On the top of Pisgah standing,
All the "promised land" commanding.
Wiapped in beatific vision,
Of those deathless fields Elysian,
Waiting for the summons thither.
What should tempt your footsteps hither?
Ah! in guise of strangers hidden.
Angels to our feast are bidden.
Entertaining them beside us
Unaware, they lead and guide us.
Low we bend to take your blessing.
While our words to you addressing,
Lay your hands but lightly on us,
Let your mantle fall upon us.
OLD SETTLERS FESTIVALS. 209
Several letters from persons abroad, former residents of Hanover, in reply
to invitations, were read. An Historical Address was delivered by Henry H.
Hawkins, Esq., of Silver Creek. It gave a history of the town from its early
settlement to and including the war of 18 12, and evinced much study and
research on the part of the writer. It was replete with entertaining and
valuable facts, interesting especially to the citizens of Hanover, and largely
so to the people of the county generally. It was the intention of Mr.
Hawkins, if another such occasion should occur, to bring the history
down to the present time. It is hoped that a similar occasion will again be
presented ; and that, whether it shall be or not, he will proceed in preparing
the sketch, for preservation, leaving to time and circumstances its future use
and disposal. Certain it is, there is not another citizen in the town who can
do the subject better justice.
As there was but a single session, only a few speeches were made, and
these by gentlemen not citizens of the county, though all of them had been.
President Talcott introduced, first, " the venerable man, known to so many,
who had taken so deep an interest in the preservation of the county history
— the Hon. Elial T. Foote." Judge Foote was greeted with three cheers
as he advanced to respond. He said he was a weak, feeble old man. Dea-
con Brownell, the pioneer justice, the Camps, Mixers, and others of the
earlier settlers whom he remembered, had been taken to the neighboring
cemetery. A few like Capt. Pattison, even older than himself, still survived.
Although reduced in flesh from 250 to 165, a mere skeleton of his former
self, it was impossible for him to express the pleasure it gave him to meet
them to-day — the last occasion that he expected to enjoy that happiness.
He had onced hoped to write a history of the county, (too old now,) and
had carefully collected much information which Mr. Young was using for the
history now in preparation. He hoped all that could would aid the author
in making the history what it should be. He wanted the history of the good
old men who settled Hanover preserved. The gathering further reminded
him of Perry's victory on Lake Erie sixty years ago. God's providence was
in that victory and the battle of Lake Erie. He also complimented Mr.
Hawkins. Although differing with him as to the first settlement in the
county, he was very thankful that he had prepared that paper, which he
regarded as extremely valuable.
A. W. Young, the writer of the County History, and Dr. Jeremiah Ells-
worth, of Corry, Pa., followed Judge Foote. As the remarks of the former
were in great part personal, and related to his connection with the work he
had undertaken ; and as the speech of Dr. Ellsworth, though highly interest-
ing, was a review of pioneer experience and mode of living, which, it is
believed, will be found faithfully presented elsewhere in this work ; and,
further, as the matter of this volume has already far exceeded the space
assigned to it, the remarks of both these speakers are necessarily omitted.
The band followed with " Old Hundred," and the audience joined in sing-
ing the old familiar words : " Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ;"
14
210 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
after which was dinner. Mr. F. D. Ellis had the general management of the
table arrangements, and succeeded finely. After dinner the bands of Forest-
ville and Silver Creek, who had participated in the stand exercises, continued
their music for some time ; the old folks sho.ok hands again; the young folks
drove on the track ; and all went on merrily until " milking time," when the
grounds were speedily vacated.
Reunion at Jamestown.
The second reunion of the " Old Settlers " of Chautauqua county was held
at Jamestown on the 26th of June, 1874. Great preparations had been
made by the citizens to meet the highest expectations of those who had for
weeks and months been waiting for the " good time coming." _ High arches
of evergreen spanned several streets ; and the decorations upon the streets,
the Hall, and the Opera House, in which the public exercises were chiefly
held, were elaborate and in good taste. The ladies had not been wanting in
efforts to assure success to the reunion. The citizens of Jamestown did
themselves much honor by the generous supply of provisions for the table,
and their kind attentions to their guests.
That this festival, in all its features, surpassed _ that of the preceding year,
will hardly be affirmed. In numbers it far exceeded it. And a greater
number of persons were fed. About four thousand people, it was said, were
seated at the dinner-tables, and the provisions that were left, were estimated
to be sufficient for at least half as many more. The arrangements for num-
bering the pioneers, and taking their names, were defective or not fully
carried out. Nor were they systematically classified in respect to their ages,
as at the former reunion. No one probably will say that, on the whole, it
was not outdone by the Fredonia meeting.
At the hour appointed, the meeting was called to order by Col. Augustus
F. Allen, chairman of the committee of arrangements ; and by his request,
Hon. Abner Hazeltine, of Jamestown, took place on the stage as president of
the meeting, and R. W. Kennedy, of French Creek ; Wm. Blaisdell, of Cherry
Creek ; and D. H. Waite, of EUicott, as vice-presidents.
The president then briefly addressed the meeting, cordially welcoming the
citizens, and especially the pioneers of the county to the place on this occa-
sion. He drew an interesting contrast between the present, and " sixty
years ago,'' when he settled in Chautauqua county. The whole region was
a dense forest, with only here and there a settler. Where there was a heavy
growth of forest trees, are now rich fields and large houses, smrounded
by all the evidences of prosperity. This region was settled by poor people,
but by their energy and perseverance, they have greatly advanced in wealth,
and prosperity. He said : "We have reason to thank them for clearing up
this county. Let us not forget, in praising our forefathers and foremothers,
to give thanks to the Great God. I will now ask the Rev. Isaac Eddy, of
New Jersey, who is the son of the first preacher in Jamestown, to in-
voke the Throne of Grace."
OLD SETTLERS FESTIVALS. 211
After the conclusion of the prayer, and music by the full choir composed
of the several church choirs, who sang " Still the Cymbals"
The president introduced the Hon. Richard P. Marvin, who, as the Judge
announced, would preside during the remainder of the reunion services.
The following is only a part of Judge Marvin's address :
" We are here in honor of the ' old settlers ' of the county. It is the
festival of the reunion of those who survive, and a day for the commem-
oration of the virtues of the departed. ' Old Settlers,' ' Early Settlers,' how
reduced your ranks ! How few of your early companions are here ! You
have no cause for mourning, rather cause for thankfulness in the reflection
that they acted well their part while here, and that a kind Providence has
spared you that you may see this day — to meet here your children and their
children, and thousands of others to whose happiness your labors and priva-
tions paved the way. They meet you here with greetings, with warm de-
sires to contribute to your happiness while you may remain with them.
They honor you, they know something, they know not very much, of the
great battle you, the 'old settlers,' fought with the difficulties surrounding
you. They, and your descendants have a clear knowledge, a happy percep-
tion, of the great victory you obtained ; the great conquest you made, for
they are in the full enjoyment of the fruits of the victory. I speak of your
encounter with difficulties as a battle, and your success as a victory, and
well I may, for to me it has always seemed that a courage, equal to that
which has produced the ancient and modem heroes of Earth, was required
to influence you, in early manhood, with your young bride, and those of
middle age with their wives and little ones, to leave their homes in the old
settlements and come into the wilderness to make for themselves and fami-
lies a home. This county was literally a wilderness. The land was covered
with a dense forest of trees, tall and large, and the axe was the first and only
tool required.
" The first labor was the construction of the log house. I shall not pause
to describe it or its location by the bubbling spring. I have no time to speak
of the absence of roads and mills. Let us enter at once, as they did, upon
the campaign and begin the battle. The ' old settler,' then a sturdy youth,
armed for combat with a single weapon, the axe, more useful and more effec-
tive than the battle axe of the knights and warriors of other times. He
takes a view of the field of battle, as did Napoleon the field of Waterloo.
The enemy to be slain may be numbered by thousands. , He approaches
one of them, a majestic oak, elm or maple, observes its tall and beautiful
form, walks around it, measuring with his eye its circumference, takes notice
of its inclinations, and decides where to lay it upon the earth. He is stripped
for the combat, he is ready to begin, and he delivers the first blow. The
wound is scarcely skin deep, and could the oak think and laugh, well might
he do so in derision of his puny assailant. But blow follows blow. The
weapon is wielded with skill and a will, and in time his majesty comes crash-
ing to the ground. Another, another and another is in the same way at-
tacked and subdued, and the sun smiles upon the earth and the labors of the
puissant warrior. The battle is continued for days, weeks, months, years, and
embraces many other phases before tlfe earth is prepared for the uses of man.
" I now ask the young man of the present day to go where he can find ten
acres of the original forest in the county, and say whether he has courage to
make the attack, single handed and alone. Young men, I do not question
212 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
your general courage ; many of you have proved it on the battle-field in
presence of the cannon's mouth ; but how many of you will, for a liberal re-
ward, undertake the conquest of ten acres of dense forest ? I venture to
answer, very few of you. Your courage would fail. How many of our young
women would be willing to accompany their husbands into such a wilderness,
and submit to the hardships incident to such a settlement ? I will not press
the question ; but I recommend that you cultivate the acquaintance of the
aged mothers — early settlers still with us, and learn their story. You will
find it quite as interesting and far more valuable than any of the dozen
novels you have been reading during the last six months. They will tell you
of the big and little wheel, and the loom, very interesting and useful furniture
in the house, for which you have substituted the piano and the harp. They
will tell you about their comfortabfc apparel, provided at home by their own
labor, their calico dresses of the newest style requiring six yards, and how
happy they felt in them. You still wear calico, and really appear very pretty
in them, but tell the old ladies that the patterns used for a dress are from
twelve to sixteen yards. Tell them also that you do not feel quite comfort-
able and happy unless you are dressed in silks, the pattern for a dress being
from twenty to thirty yards, and the good old ladies may open wide their
eyes, and exclaim, ' What is the world coming to !' How can the young men
ever think of marriage. But, young ladies, let me whisper in your ear the
answer to be given. It is that since the early days of these, now ancient and
worthy dames, the steam engine has been invented by which, supplied with
water that costs nothing, heated to a temperature producing steam, the work
of a thousand men and women is performed, and that this engine, made of
iron, has actually driven from the field all the big and little wheels and do-
mestic looms, and so greatly reduced the hard labor of men and women, that
your husbands of the present day are able to provide for you more dresses of
greatly enlarged patterns, and by the steam engine argument, you may, in a
measure, allay their fears, and the apprehensions of the young men, if they
are apprehensive, which I doubt.
"Though the early settlers labored hard, and suffered many privations, it
would be an error to say that they were not happy — husbands, wives and
children. Ask any of the aged survivors, and they will say, with probably a
few exceptions, that they were happy. Happiness does not so much depend
upon what we have, as upon what we expect to have. They were satisfied,
contented, not impatient. They mingled amusement with profit. Most of
them took with them into the wilderness a rifle, and they knew how to use
it, and the boys all learned the art. Game was plenty, and the good house-
wife knew how to make a savory pottage fit for a king. Why say king ?
Much better to have said her husband, herself, her children, and a neigh-
bor who should happen in, at the right time. The streams were alive
with the speckled trout, the same for which the epicures of the present day
pay a dollar a pound, (though their creditors, sometimes, go unpaid.) The
boys knew how to angle for, and take these spry, shy inhabitants of the rapid
brooks, though I wUl venture the opinion that not one of them had ever read
or seen, or heard of the book of the celebrated philosopher, Sir Izaak
Walton, upon the piscatory art
" In this county there was, and is, i large and beautiful lake, and several
smaller lakes, all peopled with fish of the most delicious species. The early
settlers resorted to them for recreation and for food. We might make a long
catalogue of the pleasures and amusements of the men and boys ; but the
OLD SETTLERS' FESTIVALS. 21 3
women must not be neglected. They participated in all the happiness
resulting from the success and prosperity of their husbands, and they knew
all that their husbands knew, and they were constantly consulted. No good
husband in those days ever thought of concealing anything from his better-
half. It would, I fancy, have hardly been safe for him to attempt conceal-
ment, and if he had he would have failed. She was his companion,
counselor, help-meet. The women had their visitings, their tea parties, in
a neighborhood of ample extent, say a dozen or more miles. They gossiped,
told each other the news as they do now, and everjiave, and ever will, and
woe be to the scurvy cynic who ever has attempted or shall attempt to deny
or abridge this happy privilege. The young folks had their pleasures, and as
the settlements thickened up, they had their balls, as they were then called,
though I believe there are half a dozen names for the same thing now-a-
days. And I will hazard the opinion that the net results of these gatherings,
and convivial feasts, were quite as great as those of the present day, to wit, a
certain number of weddings.
" The early settlers confided in each other. There were probably not a
dozen padlocks in the county when the population was ten thousand. The
doors of the houses, barns and granaries were left unfastened at night.
Their natures were not poisoned by the evil passions which now produce so
much unhappiness ; envy was unknown. All rejoiced in the success and
prosperity of their neighbors. All were ready to lend a helping hand to all.
If a family was burned out, the neighbors met, and in two or three days a
new house made its appearance. It was soon furnished, largely by contribu-
tions, and the family were soon again comfortably settled.
" Some of the boys, whose fathers were in better circumstances than their
neighbors, being owners of the only horse in the neighborhood, spent a large
portion of their time in taking to the mill, a distance of many miles, all the
grists of all the neighborhood, and the rule was that the owner of the grist
should labor for the owner of the horse and the father of the boy during the
absence of the horse, and this was generally about two days, as the boy
spent one night at the mill, the kind miller furnishing for him a bed com-
posed of the grists at the mill, and the boy took with him his own lunch.
The load for the horse was two bushels, surmounted by the boy. One of
these boys is now a wealthy citizen of Jamestown.
" But to conclude this address already too much extended. The first set-
tlers entered this county then a wilderness, without roads, without anything
which lab'or and civiUzation produce. By their labor and enterprise, and
the labor and enterprise of those who came after them, the county has
become a land flowing with milk, if not with honey, and its butter and cheese
are certainly more valuable than the honey of the Land of Canaan. If
those in middle life and younger, now in the county, shall acquit themselves
and perform all their duties, and with the like integrity, as faithfully as the
early settlers have, then the reputation of the county will be maintained,
otherwise not."
At the close of the exercises in Institute Hall at nobn, the Old Settlers in
attendance formed themselves in an immense procession, and, headed by the
band, marched to the Opera House, where everything was in readiness to
receive them. Since morning, matrons of the tables, with their busy assist-
ants, had been at work fiimishing and decorating their tables, and, when
completed, they presented a sight such as never was seen in Jamestown
214 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
before, and probably never will be again. Twelve tables, 40 feet long, ex-
tended the entire width of the building, and groaned under their weight of
crockery, provisions and beautiful flowers, which the skillful hands of the
ladies had artistically arranged. Around each table stood ten young ladies
ready to attend to the wants of all who should be so fortunate as to obtain
seats at their tables. Each set of waiters had some distinguishing feature in
her dress ; some wearing jaunty little caps, and others with different colored
ribbons arranged upon tbeir persons. The ante-rooms, where the food was
stored, and the rooms in which tea, coffee and chocolate were made, pre-
sented sights that were wonderful. Bread, cakes, pie, etc., were stored,
layer upon layer, and heap upon heap. Never did our people see as much
food as this together at one time. Tea and coffee were prepared in huge
caldrons, and its quality was of the best, causing many an old lady's eye to
sparkle with delight, as she put in their cups the favorite beverage, prepared,
as she expressed it, "jest right."
Dinner time came; and the old settlers poured into the house, and were
quickly seated at the tables. Hundreds of old men and women were there
with gray heads ; many of them white as snow. Though stooping under the
weight of years, a merry, pleasant expression was upon every face. When
the seats at the tables were all filled. Rev. Mr. Robinson, at the request of
the president, invoked the Throne of Grace. Then six hundred mouths were
opened, and the old people, with a will, fell to dispatching the good things
set before them by the nimble waiters. How many times the seats at the
table were filled can not be told, as the people were constantly coming and
going ; but it is believed that more than three thousand were fed.
The oldest settlers' table was indeed a curiosity. It was reserved for the
most aged people present, set with old fashioned dishes, with old fashioned
food cooked in an old fashioned manner, and waited upon by young people
dressed in the costumes of the olden time, and direct descendants of the first
settlers of Chautauqua county. This table was under the supervision of
Mrs. O. E. Jones. One noteworthy feature of the food was a cake made by
an old lady one hundred years old.
Dinner over, the old people adjourned to Institute Hall, to spe^k to their
former comrades, and relate reminiscences of early times. They were briefly
addressed by Mr. Cleland, of Charlotte, and Mr. Fay, of Portland.
The rostrum was then cleared, and Miss Calista Jones introduced her old
fashioned school. Old fashioned desks were placed upon the stage, and at
the raps of the long, wicked looking ruler in the hands of Miss Jones, who
was dressed in ancient costume ; a troop of ragged, mischievous children
trooped up on the stage, and took their seats in that manner so peculiar to
the district school of years ago. Classes in " readin,' spellin' and 'rithmetic "
were called up to recite, and stood there in a row ; the great over-grown
"booby," the sore toed one, the smart girl and dull one, all were there and
in a manner that recalled vividly to the minds of many their own school
days in the little red house, where the rudiments were instilled into their
OLD SETTLERS FESTIVALS. 215
minds, and where the happiest days of their existence were passed. Miss
Jones has been a teacher for over thirty consecutive years; and there is
scarcely a man or woman whose childhood was passed in this place, who has
not, at one time or another, been under her tuition. She is now a teacher in
the Jamestown Union School and Collegiate Institute.
Rev. Mr. Frink was called for, and responded with a fife in his hand,
which his father had played on through the Revolutionary war ; and though
advanced in years, with fingers stiflF, breath short, and lips that sometimes
failed to do their office, he played one or two airs that he learned when a
boy. They were received with applause.
After remarks by Rev. Mr. Stillman, old " New Jerusalem" was sung by
the choir, the audience standing and joining with the choir.
The singing was followed by brief speeches from Dr. Ellsworth, of Corry ;
Hon. Alvin Plumb, and a Mr. Taylor, a school teacher in Jamestown forty-
five years ago. And after singing " Coronation," in response to a call from
Judge Foote, further speaking was done by Oliver Pier, the " Leather Stock-
ing" of Chautauqua county, Judge Edson, and Rev. Mr. Kent. The re-
marks of all were interesting ; but the want of room forbids their insertion.
One fact, however, stated by Mr. Plumb, should not be omitted. In the
account of the receptions of Gen. La Fayette in this county, given in pre-
ceding pages, no mention was made of the fact, that Congress voted him,
for his services in the Revolutionary war, $200,000, and a township of land.
Mr. Pier, it may be added, in relating his early hunting feats, said he had
killed 1,322 deer with one gun, which had required, during its use, three new
stocks and hammers.
On motion, it was resolved, that thanks be tendered to the officers of the
meeting ; also to the people who had so generally contributed to the success
of the enterprise, especially to the ladies, for the excellent preparations they
had made. The audience then joined in singing " America," and then the
meeting adjourned to meet at the Opera House in the evening. The
adjournment gave all opportunity tg^witness the grand parade of the fire
department, at six o'clock, when the entire department, with bands of music,
formed into order on East Fourth street, and took up the line of march pre-
viously laid out. Of this we can only say, that it was an elegant display ;
and that Jamestown may be justly proud of her fire department.
The evening exercises at the Opera House were well attended. By eight
o'clock the house was well filled. A large number of the older people
present, took their seats on the stage. A great part of the evening exercises
was the reading of letters from persons invited who were unable to be pres-
ent. After a song, Mr. Cleland, one of the four brothers, took the stand,
and related many pleasing reminiscences of early life in the county. In
response to repeated calls. Rev. Hiram Eddy, formerly of Jamestown, took
the stand, and delivered an interesting address. Jamestown had given him
a start in the world ; and he would ever regard his mother town with love
and reverence. Mr. Eddy said he and an older brother cut the first tree that
2l6 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
was ever felled on " English Hill," and built a cabin. Among the reminis-
cences of his early life in that town, was his having worked in the old woolen
factory, with the now Hon. T. R. Hazard, for twenty-five cents a day. After
some well chosen remarks by Judge Marvin, Davis H. Waite, editor of the
Jour7ial, read a valuable paper, giving a history of James Prendergast.
Deacon Higby Danforth recounted some incidents in the early history of
Busti. Judge Marvin then arose, and said that, by request, the audience
would sing " Auld Lang Syne," when the meeting would be adjourned. At
the close of the singing, Corydon Hitchcock called for three hearty cheers.
With these, the second reunion of the old settlers of Chautauqua county was
ended.
A large collection of relics was placed for exhibition in the Union School
building, which attracted the attention of a great portion of the people
present. A few only of the relics can be mentioned :
Portrait of Deacon Samuel Foote, father of E. T. Foote. Born in New
Haven, Conn., 1770. Settled in Sherburne, N. Y., 1798. Came to Ellicott
in 1826, and died January 25th, 1848, aged 78 years. Portrait of Anna
Cheney, first wife of E. T. Foote, and one of the founders of the Methodist
church of Jamestown. Born in Dover, Vt. Came to Ellicott in i8r2.
Married in Jamestown, 1817, and died in Jamestown, 1840, aged 40 years.
Portrait of first wife of Hon. E. T. Foote, painted in 1836. Exhibited by
Mrs. Palmiter. A portrait of Ruby, wife of Wm. Sears, and daughter of
Ebenezer Cheney, bom in Dover, Vt., 1787, removed to Pomfret in 1811.
On the death of Mr. Sears, she was married to Charles Arnold ; died in
Hartfield, 1858, aged 71 years.
From Mrs. C. Jones — Pocket handkerchief over one hundred years old.
From Mrs. Job Davis — Snuff handkerchief over fifty years old ; muslin cap
over one hundred years old ; also mits over one hundred years old, and vest
over fifty years old. From Miss Belle Marvin — A quilt designed and quilted
by Mrs. David Newland in i82r. Also a quilt pieced by Miss McHarg in
i8r2, the calico costing from seventy-fi.ve cents to one dollar per yard ; also
baby dress sixty years old. One muslin and one cambric dress, handsomely
embroidered, made in 18 10. D. H. Marvin's baby cloak; .landscape and a
fruit piece done in fancy work sixty years ago.
From Gideon Sherman — Corset over one hundred years old ; also a
sword picked up in Rhode Island after the British were driven out. From
Hon. R. P. Marvin — Laws of England, published in 1642, and a law book
in 1746. From Mrs. H. P. Buck — Sugar bowl two hundred years old.
From L. L. Mason — Original warrant for hanging witches in Massachusetts,
1692. From Levant Mason — Shoe buckle, hour glass and spectacles over
one hundred and fifty years old. From Vernon Morley — Bake kettle used
in 1800 for johnny cakes ; horn spoon.
From Mrs. A. F. Allen — A chest which was filled with valuables and
hidden in the woods for three months to prevent its being confiscated by
tories. From Hiram Thayer — Plow brought into this county fifty-two years
OLD SETTLERS FESTIVALS. 217
ago by Isaac Eames ; has been used on Mr. Thayer's farm every year since.
From R. P. Marvin — Tea-table one hundred years old; silver, china and
glass ware used by Mrs. Newland, of Albany, sixty years ago. From Miss
Belle Marvin — Horn spoon and ladle, over one hundred years old.
From C. L. Bishop — An account book of John Bishop, one hundred and
sixteen years old ; a singing book over one hundred years old ; several
school books over fifty years old ; a piece of shew bread from the Jewish
Synagogue of Poughkeepsie ; a piece of a gun barrel used in the Revolu-
tion; a poisoned dagger brought from Borneo, in 1 816, by the American
consul ; several relics of the Boston and Chicago fires ; two pictures of
Jamestown before the fire in 186 1 ; a ring and staple from Libby prison,
used during the war ; a tooth of a mastodon found over thirty feet under the
ground ; three specimens of Continental currency; a collection of old coins,
all of them used six hundred years B. C. ; the only remaining pieces of an
American flag, the first one captured by the rebels at Fort Sumter ; a smok-
ing pouch, pipe, two arrows of Wahassett, chief of the Sioux tribe of Texas ;
a copy of the Ulster County Gazette in mourning for General Washington,
January 4, 1800.
From Ezekiel Gould — A pewter basin brought from England one hundred
and twenty years ago. From Chas. Mitchel, of Auburn prison — Three pic-
ture frames, two containing 5,000 and one 2,456 pieces ; a work-box contain-
ing 13,287 pieces.
From Mr. and Mrs. Alex. T. Prendergast — Case of coins in circulation in
Jamesto^vn from 1812 to 1835; cane with carved horn handle made and
presented to Judge James Prendergast by an Indian chief 60 years ago ; early
settler's cane ; a pair of tongs been in use over a century ; first dinner kettle
brought to Jamestown ; pocketbooks brought from Scotland over 125 years
ago ; a very old mahogany table imported from France by Captain Norton ;
cane made from a deck plank of Perry's flag ship Lawrence; sun dial from
Scotland over 125 years old ; an almanac of 1794 ; an old watch brought to
Jamestown in 18 10; a cravat, diamond pin and brooch and cue worn by
Judge James Prendergast at one of Washington's receptions in New York
city ; cherry stand, the first article of furniture manufactured in Jamestown,
made for Judge Prendergast by Captain Phineas Palmeter ; portraits of Judge
Martin Prendergast, Judge Matthew Prendergast, Judge James Prendergast,
Hon. Jediah Prendergast and Hon. John J. Prendergast; infant dress of
Alex. T. Prendergast, 65 years old; wedding bonnet 27 years old; old style
cap ; old fashioned pocket ; old style bonnets ; Spanish lace veil'wom by
Mrs. Judge Prendergast ; log cabin campaign handkerchief and badge.
From Martin Prendergast — Shawl worn by Mrs. Dr. Wm. Prendergast in
1815 ; dress waist worn by Mrs. E. Prendergast before 1805 ; Mrs. Dr. Wm.
Prendergast's dress waist made in 181 7; sword and uniform wosn by Col.
Wm. Prendergast in the war of 18 12.
From Mrs. A. Hazeltine — A plate imported for a marriage outfit in 1760
by Caleb Hayward, Mrs. Hazeltine's grandfather. From Col. A. F. Allen —
2l8 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Hand sword taken from the hand of a dead rebel after the battle of Cairo,
evidently very old, sent to Col. Allen as a tooth-pick. From unknown par-
ties— First seat of the old Pine street school house, where Mr. and Mrs.
A. F. Allen first met. From Mrs. Seymour — Tea-cups and saucers of three
generations, 1773, 1804 and 1823. Leaf from the cypress tree under which
Lord Packenham died, 1830. Punch bowl used at a Congregational church
raising in Jaflfrey, N. H., on the day of the battle at Bunker Hill.
THE GREAT ECLIPSE.
This remarkable phenomenon occurred in 1806, when there were but few
settlers in this county. And of the large number who witnessed it before
coming, there are few now living who can give a minute and correct descrip-
tion of it. Nor will its like again occur in the United States, during the
life-time of the youngest person now living.
The eclipse was calculated to be total in such parts of New York, New
England, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, as were situated between 41 deg. 35 min.,
and 43 deg. 5 min. north latitude. Gen. Simeon De Witt, of Albany, in
giving an account of the eclipse, observed : " Fortunately, on the morning of
that day, [June r6th,] the atmosphere was very clear. The eclipse began at
9 h. 5 min. t2 sec, a. m. ; the beginning of total obscuration was 11 h. 8 m.
6 s. ; the end of total darkness, 11 h. 12 m. 6 s. ; and of the eclipse, 12 h.
33 min. 8 s. ; end of total eclipse, 4 m. 5 s."
At Cooperstown, N. Y., the following description of this sublime phe-
nomenon was given :
" The atmosphere at this place, on Monday last, was serene and pure. The
sun was majestically bright, until 50 minutes past g o'clock, a. m., when a
little dark spot was visible about forty-five degrees to the right of the zenith.
The shade increased until rg minutes past 10, when stars began to appear,
and the atmosphere exhibited a gloomy shade. At 12 minutes past 11
o'clock, the sun was wholly obscured, exhibiting the appearance of a black
globe, or screen, with light behind it, the rays only of which were visible,
and which were too feeble to occasion sufficient light to form a shade. Many
stars now appeared, although less numerous than are usually seen in clear
evenings. TTiere was now " darkness visible " — a sort of blackish, unnatural
twilight. The fowls retired to their roosts, and the "doves to their windows."
The birds were mute, except the whip-poor-will, whose notes partially cheered
the gloom. The dew descended, and nature seemed clad in a sad, somber,
and something like a sable livery.
"At 14 minutes past ii, a little bright point appeared to the left of the
sun's nadir, similar to the focus of a glass when refracting the rays of the
sun. Sudtienly a segment of the circle of that glorious orb emerged, and
seemed to say, ' sit lux,' and was instantly obeyed, ' lux fuit,' as quick as
thought A small pin could be discovered on the ground. A more wonderful
and pleasing phenomenon can hardly be conceived. The doves left their
THE GREAT ECLIPSE. - 219
retirement ; the whip-poor-will's melody ceased ; and the face of nature again
smiled. But some stars were still visible, and Venus displayed her beauty
until 1 2 o'clock. At 40 minutes past 1 2, the sun shone in full splendor, and
in turn eclipsed the moon and all other heavenly luminaries by its glorious
effulgence."
Rev. Dr. Nott, President of Union College, in his account of the eclipse,
says :
"At the instant the last ray was intercepted, and the obscuration became
total, a tremulous, undulating shadow, a kind of indescribable, alternate
prevalence and intermixture of light and shade, struck the earth, and played
on its surface, which gave to the most stable objects the semblance of agita-
tion. It appeared as though the moon rode unsteadily in her orbit ; and the
earth seemed to tremble on its axis. The deception was so complete, that I
felt instinctively, and in spite of the instincts of my reason to the contrary,
a tottering motion. Some who were present, I observed, took hold of what-
ever was near them for support, while others leaned forward, and insensibly
flung themselves into an attitude which indicated that they found it difficult
to stand. * * *
" The scenes described at the commencement of the total obscuration
reappeared when the first rays of the sun were reappearing ; the same ap-
parent agitation of the surface of the earth ; the same apparent struggle
between light and darkness; the same separation between light and shade
into distinct and alternate arches, and the same motion reversed ; for now
the arches of light seemed to crowd those of shade inward ; and the whole
movement was from the horizon towards the center, which continued about
the same time, and disappeared in the same manner, as above described."
In the city of New York, a sudden and dismal gloom overspread the face
of nature ; the thermometer indicated a fall of the quicksilver 18 degrees,
and the atmosphere was sensibly cooler. Not a cloud was to be seen.
220 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
TOWN HISTORIES.
For convenience of reference and for other purposes, separate historical
sketches of the several towns are given, alphabetically arranged.
In collecting the materials for this history, it was found that many of the
present settlers were desirous to know the dates of settlement of their ances-
tors and certain other old settlers. But on inquiry it was found, that the
oldest remaining settlers differed much in their recollections ; and that their
statements were not reliable. It was then concluded to refer to the books of
the Holland Land Company, in which is found the precise date of the article
of every original purchaser who bought his land on credit. The record of
original purchasers by deed prior to the destruction of the land-office at May-
ville in 1836, is not to be found, the books having been destroyed.
But it is to be observed, that the date of contract does not in all cases
determine the date of settlement. Some settled on their lands by permission
of the agent of the Land Company, a year or two years before their articles
were executed, or before the townships were surveyed into lots. And there
were others who took their articles a year or two years before they settled on
their lands. Hence, the time of settlement of a considerable portion of
those whose names are found in the lists, must remain in doubt. A majority
of them, however, it is presumed, entered upon their lands as soon as they
could erect their cabins and bring on their families.
ARKWRIGHT.
Arkwright was formed from Pomfiret and Villenova, April 30, 1829. A
part of Pomfret was annexed in 1830. It comprises the territory of township
5, range 11, according to EUicott's survey of the Holland Purchase. Its sur-
face has been described as an elevated upland, broken and hilly in the south-
west, and rolling in the north-east. Its highest summit — near the center — is
said to be 1,000 to 1,200 feet above Lake Erie, and is probably the highest
land in the county. It is watered chiefly by the tributaries or head waters
of the Canadaway creek, which crosses the west line of the town into Pom-
fret nearly three miles north from its south-west corner, and the head waters
or branches of the Walnut creek, which leaves the town about one mile west
of its north-east corner. On its east border is Mud lake, which covers about
10 acres. The soil is a clay and gravelly loam. On Canadaway creek, in
the south-west part, is a cascade with a perpendicular fall of 2 2 feet.
ARKWRIGHT. 221
Original Purchases in Township j, Range ii.
1807. November, Zattu Gushing, 63 ; [articled to Uriah L. Johnson.]
1809. June, Benj. Sprague, 56. August, Augustus Bumham, 60. Ed-
ward McGregor, 62. September, Oliver Taylor, 55. October, Aaron Wil-
cox, 56. November, Nathan Eaton, 64. Benj. Perry, 64.
1810. January, Horace Clough, 42. May, Augustus Bumham, 56.
181 2. March, Robert Cowden, 54.
1814. October, Moses Tucker, 62. November, Daniel Harris, 53.
181 5. October, Robert W. Seaver, 37.
1816. February, Abiram Orton, 55. December, Thaddeus Barnard, 16.
181 7. March, Robert Cowden, 53. April, Jabez Harrington, 39.
18 1 8. March, Silas Matteson, 8.
1821. July, Isaiah Martin, 3. October, Bela Kingsley, 13. Hiram
Kinsley, 13.
1822. March, Simeon Smith, Jr., 39. Caleb Weaver, Jr., 39. April,
David Weaver, 31. John Weaver, 32. Bethnel Harvey, 12. Oct., Ashbel
Scott, 10. Nov., Asahel Bumham, 26, 27. Moses and Aaron Luce, 18.
1823. July, Sylvester Gould, 42. August, Stephen Chase, 2. Novem-
ber, Orestes Thatcher, 18.
1824. September, Simeon Clinton, 21. October, Benjamin White, 28.
Arna Wood, 51.
1825. Sept., Shephen Chase, 2d, 9. Oct., Ellsworth Griswold, 25.
1826. January, Andrus M. Huyck, 16. July, Wm. F. Peebles, Jr., 33.
October, Zephaniah Briggs, 42. Abijah Mason, 8.
1828. January, Benjamin Perry, 47.
The first settlement in Arkwright, according to the State Gazetteer, was
made in the north-west part of the town in 1807, by Abiram Orton, Benjamin
Perry and Augustus Bumham, from the eastern part of the state. From the
Holland Company's land-office books it appears, that the lands of these set-
tlers were not articled until 1809. They were, however, probably contracted
for and settled in the year first mentioned. Aaron Wilcox is said to have
settled in 1809, and Nathan Eaton in 1810, though the articles of both are
dated in 1809. Uriah L. Johnson, Benjamin Sprague, and Jonathan
Sprague, are said to have settled at the center of the town in 181 1. Johnson
and B. Sprague first bought, and, it is believed, occupied, lands in the north-
west part of the town, but afterwards, probably in 18 11, settled permanently
near the center.
Abiram Orton came from Oneida county, and settled in the north-west
part of the town, probably on lot 64, near Pomfret. He was for several years
an associate judge of the county. He was twice married, and died in 1837,
having had no children. His widow resides on the fann. Aaron Wilcox, a
native of Conn., removed with his family from Madison Co., N. Y., to Chau-
tauqua, 1809 ; and, after a year's residence at Fredonia, settled in the town
of Arkwright, on lot 56, which he bought in October, 1809, and on which he
resided until his death, in 1833. His children were William, Azariah,
Betsey, Oliver C, Lydia G., Ursula, Thomas R., and Harvey R.
Nathan Eaton, also probably from Oneida or Madison county, bought on
lot 64. A daughter of his married Asahel Bumham, whose son Asahel
222 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
resides at Sinclairville ; and another son, Eaton, lives in Arkwright. Benj.
Perry, before mentioned, was a lieutenant in the war of 1812 ; afterwards a
colonel of the militia. Of his three sons, George W. resides in Ripley.
Daniel Saunders was an early settler on lot 56, though he was not an
original purchaser ; he still resides there. He had no sons, but 6 daughters :
Lois Ann, wife of Marshal Parsons ; Mariett, wife of Silas Matteson, of Dun-
kirk; Clarissa, unmarried; Jane, wife of Morgan Rice; Amarett, wife of L.
Courtney Baldwin ; and Hope, unmarried. Robert Cowden settled on lot
54, articled in 1812. A son, Alia, lives in Harbor Creek, Pa. ; Levi, on the
homestead. Moses Tucker settled on lot 62, bought in 1814. His son
Chauncey was a lawyer in Fredonia, since at Buffalo, and is deceased.
Alia and Zebina Willson, and Robert Cowden, who married their sister,
came from Madison Co., and settled in 18 11, on lots 53 and 54^ and their
father, Reuben Willson, about 181 7, settled near them. He had thirteen
children, all of whom are dead except Adine, who lives on a part of his
father's homestead, and Mrs. Cowden, who resides with her son, Levi Cow-
den, on the old homestead where they first settled.
In the south-east part of the town, James Black, from Wayne county, at
the age of 19 or 20, bought a part of lot 10, adjoining a piece previously
taken up by Wm. Scott. Each built a cabin* in the usual pioneer style ; the
doors being made of a board brought by Mr. Scott two miles on his back.
They married two sisters, daughters of Elder Dibble. They were surround-
ed by forest, infested with wolves and bears, sometimes approaching too near
their cabins for the safety of their children when out at play. By persevering
industry they have secured to themselves good farms and an ample com-
petence. James T. Black, a son of James, is married, and lives on a farm
adjoining his father's. Charles S., another son, lives at home with his
parents. Mr. Scott died in 1866, leaving a daughter and two sons : Warren,
who resides in the east part of the town, and David, who lately lived on the
homestead.
Isaiah Martin, from Broome Co., settled first in the south part of the
county, at an early day. He soon removed to Pomfret, and commenced the
erection of a cotton factory on the Canadaway creek, near where Scotrs
tavern now is, but gave up the enterprise, and bought in 1821, in the south-
east part of this town, in the wilderness ; built a cabin and cleared a farm ;
built a good house, and for many years kept a tavern and a store, with
asheries. He had seven sons, none remaining in the town, except George
W., who resides on the old place.
The first dirt/i in this town is said- to have been that of Horatio N. John-
son, son of Uriah L. Johnson, May 11, 181 1; the first marriage, that of
Asahel Bumham and Luania Eaton, May 11, 1815 ; and the first death, that
of Augustus Burnham, in 1813. [A marriage is thought by some to have
occurred earlier than 1815.]
The first school, says the Gazetteer, was taught by Lucy Dewey, near the
center, in the summer of 1813. A reliable old settler is confident that a
ARKWRIGHT. 223
school was taught by Horace Clough in the winter of 1811-12 ; and that the
same school was taught by Parthenia Baldwin in the summer of 181 2.
The first imi was kept by Simeon Clinton, in 181 7, at the center, so called,
though about a mile north of the geographical center; subsequently kept by
J. Bartholomew, who also kept a post-office ; both of which have been discon-
tinued there. Aaron Town's inn and Arkwright post-office are kept about
2 miles south-east from the former place.
The first saw mill was built in 18 18, by Abiram Ortott and Benjamin
Perry, on Orton's land, near the town line, near the north-west corner of the
town, on a small branch of the Canadaway creek. A saw-mill and an oil-
mill on Walnut creek, in the north-east part of the town, was owned by
Andrus M. Huyck, and perhaps built by him. It came into the hands of
Edward B. Kingsley, who has kept a saw-mill in operation there until the
present time. Two other saw-mills, one or two miles above, on the same
stream, are yet standing, one of which, at least, is kept running a part of the
time. Asahel Burnham pretty early built a saw-mill in the south part of the
town. A mill is still run there by Thayer. Another built by S. A.
Stoddard, half a mile above, has been discontinued. A mill was also built
by Joel White, south of the center; no longer in use. K steam saw-mill
built by Marvin Snow, at the old center, five or six years since, was removed
by him, a year or two ago, a few rods down the stream, and rebuilt. Ezra
Scott built a steam saw-mill, three or four years ago, which is still in
operation. A grist mill, the only one, it is believed, built in this town, was
near the west line of the town of Pomfret. Scarce a trace of it remains.
An oil-mill was built in the abbey by Wm. Mason and Leonard Love,
about thirty-five years ago. It soon passed into the hands of Andrus M.
Huyck, who ran it successfully for a number of years.
In the soutli. part of the town, Horace Clough settled on lot 42, bought in
1810. He married Polly Crouch (?), and had 2 sons, Horace P. and Mellin
H, who reside in Pennsylvania. He married, second, Parthena Baldwin,
by whom he had 3 sons, Barclay and Luther, in California, and Casper,
deceased ; and 4 daughters, Esther, Lucy, Mariett, and Helen, the last
deceased. [Mr. Clough, it is said, subsequendy removed, and settled near
the north line, in or near the town of Sheridan.]
Jesse Reed, from Windsor Co., Vt., came with his wife to Arkwright, and
settled on lot 43, cutting his way three miles through the woods. His cabin
was one of the rudest of the rude ; and his pioneer experience was of the
rougher kind. He had 2 children : Euphame, who is married, and went to
Michigan ; and Stephen W., married, and lives on the homestead.
In the south-east part of the town, David Abbey settled early on lot 3,
where he still resides, with his son, Chauncey. His sons were James P.,
Chauncey, and David. James P. resides on lot 12, where he has resided
many years. Chauncey is an extensive and a successful farmer ; and he has,
for many years, been an extensive dealer in cattle. He has acquired an
ample fortune. He was elected eight times to the office of supervisor.
224 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Leonard Sessions, from Broome county, came to Arkwright in 1828, and
settled on lot 4, where he now resides. A son, Holland, is on the farm ;
Henry, in VUlenova, whose son Lawrence is a merchant at Hamlet. He
h?d 4 daughters : Esther, Cordelia, J , and Lydia, deceased. None of
them reside in town.
In the north-east part of the town, Silas Matteson settled on lot 8, bought
March, 1818. A son, SUas, is a detective at Dunkirk. Harvey Baldwin
settled on a part of the same lot, about 1834, whence he removed, in 1872,
to Sheridan Center. He had several children, of whom two sons only are
living : Albert, who removed to the West ; and Horace, who lives with his
father in Sheridan.
Bela Kingsley, from Onondaga Co., in the spring of 1822, settled on lot
13. He opened a road for his team of two yoke of oxen, and built a log
cabin, and covered it with hollowed basswood logs, leaving a hole for the
escape of the smoke. He had a wife and several sons, Edward, the oldest,
being about r4 years old. Though far from an inhabitant, they were not
long at a time alone. Almost every night, their cabin floor of split logs was
covered with weary travelers looking for lands. Mr. Kingsley soon enlarged
his house with similar material. Three years after, he built a small frame
house and commenced innkeeping. On the 4th of July, the young people,
with ox-teams, on foot, and otherwise, collected there for an " Independence
ball," the house having but one room. He kept tavern, cleared and cultiva-
ted his farm, and enjoyed his home, until the New York & Erie Railroad
was run through it. He then sold out, and removed to Laona, where he
soon died. Edward B. remained in the town, purchased a place in the
" Abbey," near Mr. Huyck's, where he still resides, having been to\vTi collec-
tor 5 years, clerk i year, justice 4 years, and assessor 13 years. He was
about 15 years of age when he came in with his father, and soon began to
assist in chopping and clearing. This labor he continued until he had be-
come a professional chopper. About the time he became of age, he chopped
thirteen months continuously. The day after he reached his majority, he
commenced chopping for himself; and in just two weeks, (12 working days,)
he chopped 3 acres, the timber all in good order for logging. His common
average was an acre in four days. He also gained notoriety as a marksman.
More bears than one that had fled for safety to the highest branches of a tall
tree, he brought down dead with a musket ball, after others had fired repeat-
edly without effect.
He relates the following bear story : Two young men, [Perley and Hiram
KinsTey,] settled on a part of the lot [13] on which Bela Kingsley settled, and
about^ the same time. They kept " bachelor's hall." Perley, returning from
a tramp one afternoon through the woods, espied a bear and two cubs playing
in the road a few rods before him. He seized a club, and got near them
before they discovered him. The cubs fled and ascended a large hemlock
Jto the top ; the old bear ran into a swamp, out of sight. He hallooed, and
ffeljought to his assistance a man from the other side of the swamp, who kept
/
; • f
^ ^cllc^ M'n^
KWRIGHT. \ 225
watch until Perley had rallied the Heighbois, who came with dogs ana mvis-
. kets, Edward B. Kingsley, then about i§ years old, among ftem. Some ha^"^
fired when he arrived, the two young b^rs still sitting undisturbed in the top
of the tree. Kingsley charged his musket, aj^, at the first fire, brought onie <
bear down, dead. While he was re-loadinjBthers were firing, but, as be-
fore, without effect. '^Re fired agafti, and brofight the other cub down,
wounded, but not dead. The dogs, ho#ever, soon dispatched him j and the
boy went home the hero of the day. '' ' W ^
In the easi part of the town, Aaron Town, from Genesee Co., settled in
1826 on lot 12, and subsequently purchased the tavern stand at the Summit,
"which he kept for many years, and which is now kept by his son Oliver M.
He has raised 5 sons and 3 daughters, all living and having families. Martin
H., the second son, resides at the Summit; is a justice of the peace^j^Myhich
office he has held for nearly four fiiH- teniSsij fed has been postmaster fopf
eighteen years, to the pi^ent time. Benjamin Jones, in 1832, settled tem-
porarily on lot 23, and went thence to the center of the town, where he re-
sides with his daughters. He was a justice of the peace 1 2 years, and town
clerk nearly 21 years.
At the first town meeting, held in the house of Simeon Clinton, May 2,
1830, the following named officers were chosen :
Supervisor- — William Wilcox. Town C/b-A-r-Aa^pn -Foster. Assessors —
Andnis M. Huyck, pairiel Harrington, \^if^^^^txy\ Gpmmissioners, of
Highways — Isaac ITiompson, Jod White," ^1AiJ8i>n Viii "Vliet.' Collector —
Daniel Weaver.- Overseers of the Poor — Silas Ma^ Charles Crawford. Com-
missioners of Schools-^— Isaac Bumpus, Ira Whife,' IjCwis K Danforth. In-
spectors of Schools — Andrus M. Huyck, Tiniofliy Cole, James Sprague.
Constables — Edw. B. Kingsley, David; Weaver.' JtisSies (^ the Feace-^lsaac
Bumpus, John G. Cuttis, LeWis E.Dafjforth. "^ .' ; -
Supervisors from, 18 30 to^'t^jgi. "
William Wilcox, 1830 to 1,836, and 1844 to *^2^^ years. Levi Bald-
win, 1837 to 1840, '42, '53, '54, '57 — 8 years. Lie^^^^Miforth, 1841, '43.
Chauncey Abbey, 1855, '56, '58, '59, and 1862 tcrS§^-8 years. John C.
Griswold, i860, '61, '(i&, '68. . Delos J. Rider, 1867. Oscar H^, fltoUck,^
i86g. L. Courtney Baldwin, 1870. Leander S. Phelps, 1871, '72. George
W. Briggs, 1873, '7^ '75.
B10GRAPHICAL AND Genealogical
Levi Baldwin, son of Isaac and Parthena Baldwin, was' bom in Pawlet,.
Vt., Jan. 26, 1802. He came with his father to Sheridan in 1812, and
resided there until after his marriage". . He was marded Oct 23, 1831, to
Eliza Ann Putnam, and settled iii ArkWrighjfjbn lot 55, near where he npw
resides. His wife died Nov. 10, yf^Z- Ete ^aarried for a second wife Mrs.
Eleanor B. Phelps, March 26, i8fi6. He h^ held the office of supprvisor 8- .
years, and been a justice of the peace fof Several terms, add town superin-
tendent of schools ; and has held various other offices^ the duties of all of
226 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
which he has discharged faithfully and to the satisfaction of his fellow-citi-
zens. He had three children by his first wife, all sons., i. Oliver T., who
went to California in his twentieth year, where he married Nancy Wright, and
settled finally in San Francisco^ where he now resides. 2. Z. Courtney, who
married Amoret Saunders, and 'settled on the south part of lot 55, adjoining
his father's, where he now resides. 3. Orville £>., who married Eglantine
Dawley, and is a druggist in Fredonia.
Simeon Clinton, born in Saratoga Co., Feb. 3, 1779, removed from
Otsego Co. to Arkwright, near the center, on lot 37, in 18 13. He attained to
considerable prominence, and took an active part in getting the town set off.
He was a surveyor. About 50 years ago, he is said to have made the first
survey and plot of the village of Dunkirk, and afterward of Sinclairville. He
kept the first tavern in town. He was the first postmaster, and held the
office for 20 years ; and was town clerk and justice for a number of years.
He was killed by lightning while in the act of closing a stable door. A son
of Mr. C. was prostrated by the stroke, but soon recovered. The house also
was struck, but without much damage. He had a son and 5 daughters, the
three youngest being triplets i only one of them living, who is the wife of
Milton Cole, of this town, whose son, Charles Cole, is the present town
clerk, [Feb., 1875.] Mr. Clinton was nearly 80 years of age.
Samuel Davis, from Madison Co., came to Chautauqua Co. as teamster
for Zattu Cushing, in February, 1805, and was one of the number coming
from Buffalo on the ice, who narrowly escaped being drowned by the break-
ing away of the ice, as related by O. W. Johnson, Esq., in his " Memoir of
Judge Zattu Cushing." [See Historical Sketch of Pomfret.] After their ar-
rival at Fredonia, Davis took a job of clearing ten acres for Cushing, for the
performance of which he received the lot of land where Linus Sage now lives.
He built a small log house, and the next spring brought in his family.
Andrus M. Huyck settled early on lot 16, bought in 1826. In the
spring of 1827, he built a log house, into which he moved his family, consist-
ing of a wife and two sons, Shadrach and Oscar. There was no settler near
him; but so rapidly did new settlers come in, that they put up a small log
school-house in season for a school the next winter ; and in a few years a
commodious frame house was erected. The school prospered, and took the
name of the " Abbey School." It became quite a popular institution, having
fiimished many good and successful teachers. Mr. Ht^ck was himself a
successful teacher, and exerted a favorable inftuence in the cause of education,
as well as in the community and in the church. He was for several years a
commissioner or inspector of schools, and for two or three terms a justice of
the peace. Mr. Huyck Xia^ 4 sons, Shadrach, Oscar H., Elijah and Avery ;
and 2 daughters, Tamar-' and. Hester; all of whom have families — three
living in the Abbey dbtrict, and three in the West. Oscar H. is a justice,
having held the office several terms ; and has served one term as supervisor.
Avery, the youngest son, now living with his father, was for three years in
the Union army, and in several battles, without receiving personal injury.
'rvrt^
BUSTI. 227
William Wilcox, son of Aaron, elsewhere mentioned, was bom in Sims-
bury, Conn., May i, 1790. He came with his father to this county in 1809,
and subsequently purchased a part of lot 48, on the north line of the town.
He was married, in 18 17, to Esther S. Cole, who came from Vermont in
1815. He felled the first tree on his land, which he improved and occupied
57 years. As a citizen, he enjoyed the esteem and confidence of the com-
munity. He was elected, in 1830, the first year after the formation of the
town, as its supervisor, and held the office by reelection until 1836, and from
1844 to 1852 — in all, for 16 years. He was also a member of assembly, in
1837, with Alvin Plumb and Calvin Rumsey. [Family sketch not received
in season for insertion here.]
Methodist Episcopal Church. — A class was formed in the " Abbey," by
Elder David Preston, in June, r830. It consisted of 8 members : Ira
and Elizabeth Richardson, John Franklin, Reuben and Fanny Howe, Caleb
Weaver, John Lafferty, and Isaac Bumpus." Of those who joined soon after,
were : Andrus M. Huyck, Wright Lewis, Hiram Lewis, Wm. McClanathan,
R. McClanathan, Caleb Weaver, and probably the wives of some of them.
A portion of its members were from the adjacent towns of Sheridan, Han-
over, and Arkwright. Mr. Huyck has been a class leader most of the time
since its organization. The class increased to the number of 60 the first
year. Although it has continued to prosper, no church edifice has been
built ; meetings having been generally held in the district school-house, the
present house having been, in its construction, designed partly for that
purpose.
A Christian Church was formed in the south-west part of the town ; but
the date of its organization has not been ascertained.
BUSTI.
BusTi, named from Paul Busti, general agent of the Holland Land Com-
pany, was formed from EUicott and Harmony, April 16, 1823. It comprises
the west half of township i , range 1 1 , excepting the four north lots which
were in 1845 annexed to Ellicott ; and three-fourths, or six tiers of lots, firom
tp. I, r. 12 ; together with that portion of tp. 2 lying south of the lake, and
between Ellicott and Harmony. It contains an area of 29,152 acres, or
about 45^ square miles. It is drained by several small streams which flow
into the lake, and by the branches of the Stillwater, which passes through
Kiantone into the Connewango.
Original Purchases in Township r, Range 12.
1810. April, Samuel Griffith, 4. May, Tho. Bemus, r2. December,
Jonas Lamphear, 48.
181 1. March, Wm. Matteson, Jr., 40, [Ellicott.] May, Jedediah Chapin,
4. Palmer Phillips, 11. October, Nathaniel Fanner, 15.
228 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
1 812. February, Joseph Phillips, 11. March, Anthony Fenner, 6.
Thomas Fenner, Jr., 15. April, Theron Plumb, 7. August, Barnabas Well-
man, Jr., 38. Reuben Landon, 7.
[814. May, Arba Blodgett, 25. Elisha Devereaux, i. July, Asa Smith,
2. October, William Bullock, 17.
1815. April, Peter Frank, 5, 6. June, Josiah Thompson, 28. Cyrenus
Blodgett, 33. Ford Wellman, 47. November, Josiah Palmeter, 15.
1 816. April, Harris Terry, 63. October, Harris Terry, 47.
1817. September, Nicholas Sherman, 16. Lyman Crane, 8.
1818. September, William Gifford. October, Samuel Hart, 8.
1822. September, Ransom Curtis, 39. November, Peleg Trask, 17.
Jared Famam, Jr., 34.
1823. June, Joseph Taylor, 39. October, Ethan Allen, 45. Silas C.
Carpenter, Isaac Foster, 54.
1824. February, John Badgley, 43. March, Ford Wellman, 54, [Har-
mon}'.] July, Elijah B. Burt, 37. October, Barnabas Wellman, 31. No-
vember, John Kent, 30. December, Samuel Darling, 35.
1825. January, John Buck, Jr., 20. February, Xavier Abbott, 10.
March, Jairus Buck, 19. June, David Hatch, 7. August, Wm. Nichols, 38.
George Martin, 13.
1826. November, Benjamin A. Slayton, 43.
r82 7. September, Alexander Young, 24.
The State Gazetteer names John L. Frank as the first settler in Busti, on
lot 61, 1810, and Lawrence Frank as settling the same year on lot 62 ; and
Heman Bush and John Frank, from Herkimer county, and Theron Plumb,
from Mass., on lot 60, in 18 £i. The land records, however, show as pur-
chasers, Russell Dyer, of lot 47, tp. i, r. 11, and James Slade and Hezekiah
Seymour, of lot 38 — all as early as September, 1808 ; and Laban Case, of
lot 36, in June, 1809. Aaron Martin purchased lot 44, in April, 1810 ;
Lawrence Frank, lots 62 and 63, and Heman Bush 60, in 181 1. The only
other Frank who appears on the Company's books as an original purchaser
in range 11, is John Frank, Jr., who bought a part of 61, and who, in' his
own handwriting, states that he came to Busti, Feb. i, 181 2 ; that his
brother Nicholas came in 181 6, and that his brother Stephen left Busti in
1817, and died at Fort Pekin, Tennessee, on the Mississippi river, on his
return from New Orleans; his family then residing near Vincennes, Ind.
John L. Frank, yet living, [1874,] and other early settlers, concur in the fact
of his having settled in Busti in 1811. Hence there is some doubt as to who
was the first settler in Busti, and as to the date or year of his settlement.
[See sketches of Frank families.]
In the south-east part of the town, Wm. Steams settled on lot 35, which,
after his death, was owned by his son, John R.,who also is dead. It is now
owned by John Barlow. James Davidson, a son-in-law of Wm. Steams, is on
land adjoining, on the south. Timothy Tuttle was an early settler on lot 50 ;
the farm now owned by his son Edwin. Wm. Northrop and his sons Joseph,
John and William, from England, settled south of Busti Comers, on lot 57,
on which the father and two of the sons, Joseph and John reside. William,
Jr., owns a farm on lot 58, and lives at the Comers.
BUSTI. 229
In the north part of the town Xjmg in township 2, range 12, Gideon
Gifford early bought parts of lots i and 2, where he resided till his death,
March 19, 1856. His sons, Walter C, Matthew C., and Daniel, inherited
the estate. Matthew is not living. Uriah Bentley settled, in 1810, onlot 16.
[See Biographical and Genealogical Sketches.] Daniel Shearman settled on
16, and died on the farm on which he first settled. [See Family Sketch.]
George Stoneman settled early on lot 16, and held for several years the office
of justice of the peace. He had sons : George, a graduate of the military
academy at West Point, and a general in the regular U. S. army, who was
in actual service in the late war ; Richard, dead ; Byron ; and one in the
West. Jeremiah Giflford, a cousin of Gideon Gifford, from Washington Co.,
settled on lot 23, where now his son John lives. Other sons, William and
Henry, reside at Mayville ; Horace, son of William, lives at Jamestown.
Abraham Sherman settled on lot 23. His sons, Abraham and Merritt, reside
on the farm. A. Phelps, an early settler on lot 41, died at Ashville. Thomp-
son Cowan was an early settler on lot 8, where Charles Douglas lives. He
died leaving six sons, John, Charles, Samuel, Ransom J., Fortes, and James,
all of whom reside in Busti. Samuel Smiley, on lot 16, where his son Madi-
son lives. He had a large family. Of his sons, William, John and Samuel
reside in town.
In the north-east part of the town, range 11, Zadoc Root settled on lot 47,
and lived there until his death. He had sons, Zadoc and Philander, both
deceased, and William, who resides on lot 55. Ephraim Wilcox settled early
on lot 63, on which he still resides. Of his sons, Francis S. lives in Elli-
cott ; Amos P., on the homestead ; Leander and Abraham, at Busti Comers.
Solomon Hastings settled early on lot 38. A son is with him on the farm ;
a daughter is the wife of Dr. A. Ward, of Jamestown. Harlo Mitchell set-
tled on lot 45, near where he now resides. David Boyd, where his son
Martin lately resided. Aaron Martin settled on lot 44, where he died, and
where his grandson Lorenzo lives. He had sons : Capt. William, in Kian-
tone ; George, who settled on lot 13, r. J2; was a justice of the peace for
two or three terms. He had several daughters, none now residing in town.
In the vicinity of Busti Corners, Heman Bush, from Litchfield, N. Y.,
came to Busti in June, r8i2, having previously, [1810,] bought a part of lot
60; April, 181 1, lot 61, on which he settled; and in October, 18 12, lot 59.
He kept a tavern, and conducted a store and an ashery for many years, and
died. May, 1839, aged 62. His widow, whose maiden name was Abigail
Frost, died in 1872, aged about 90. His sons were Heman C., Selden F.,
Hiram, Solon, Solomon, and Stephen. Heman, Solomon, and Stephen
removed to California ; Hiram died in Busti ; Selden is in Iowa ; and Solon
at Busti Corners. A daughter married John Campbell, who resides on the
farm of her father. They had a son Heman, deceased ; and Woodley, a
Baptist missionary in Hindpostan. Aaron Bush settled early on lot 53.
He had a large family. Of his sons, Moses, the only one living, resides in
Ellicott. Asahel Andrews settled on lot 60, and died there. His sons were :
230 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Enos, who removed West, and is dead ; D^los, who resides a mile north-east
from Busti Comers; Charles, deceased; Merrills, removed West; and
George, who lives at Busti Corners. David Hatch early purchased a large
tract, and settled on lot 6i. The land is still owned by his heirs. A son,
Solomon G., lives in Ellery. Lorenzo Matthews first settled on lot S, tp. i,
r. 12; removed to lot 62, r. 11, where he died. His sons were: John,
deceased; David, who resides in town ; and Jonathan P., in Kansas. Hen-
drick Matteson settled on lot 62, r. 11, and died in Herkimer county. A
son, Albert, resides in Sugar Grove ; and Philo and Monroe reside in Busti.
His widow lives with Philo.
In the north part of township I, Stephen A. Douglas was an early settler
on lot 15, where he now resides. His sons are : Stephen, deceased ; Charles ;
Silas, a lawyer in Buffalo ; Lathan, on the farm with his father. James Cale,
from Sugar Grove, in 1817 or 1818, resided on lot 7, and in other places, and
died in town. His sons, Jesse, James, and Harry, reside in town ; and
Stephen, in Penn. Amariah Carrier, on lot 15, and died in Erie Co., N. Y.
His sons were : Jesse and David, both dead; Robert is in Iowa ; Henry, dead;
Amariah, in Jamestown ; Edwin Douglas now owns the farm.
In the north part of toumship i, range 12, Jonathan Palmer settled early
on lot 8, previously owned by Reuben Landon. Whitman and Amos, twin
sons, reside in town ; Whitman on the home farm. Jonathan, the eldest son,
and Henry, are dead ; and Denison lives in Pennsylvania. Nicholas Sher-
man settled on lot 16, where he died. His sons, Winslow and Daniel, reside
in town; the latter on the homestead. Alexander Young, in 1826, on lot 24,
where he died. His sons were : James, deceased ; Jonathan, who resides in
EUicott ; and Ira, on the farm owned by his father. Obed G. Chase on lot
24 ; removed a few years ago to the Corners, where he now resides. He has
2 daughters : Elizabeth, wife of John Hatch, of Portland ; and Adelia, wife
of Charles Moore, of Jamestown. Joseph Sherman, on lot 32 ; the land
previously owned by John Deming. He died on the farm, which is owned
by his son Joseph Sherman. Benj. Cook came to Busti, in 183 1, on lot 40,
where he died. He was the father of Judge Orsell Cook, of Jamestown, who
is the present owner of the farm. Jonas Lamphear on lot 48, bought in
1810 ; the land now owned by John Boomer, previously owned by John
Kent, son-in-law of Lamphear. John Stow was an early settler on lot 17,
where Broughton W. Green resides. Wemple came early on lot 47, where
now his sons Peter C. and Rial C. reside. Wm. Nichols settled on lot 38,
bought in 1825, where he still resides; had 2 sons: Lyman, deceased; and
Levant, who is with his father on the farm. Barnabas Wellman, a native of
Conn., moved with his family to Busti in i8ri, and settled in the north-west
part of the town, on lot 38. He had 5 sons : James, Homer, Barnabas,
Ford, and Leander C, who settled in the neighborhood ; all of whom died
leaving families. Homer had 4 sons : Homer H. ; Orrin O., who died in
Busti ; Dewitt C. ; and Ardillo, who lives at Ashville.
In the south part of the town, Daniel Hazeltine settled early on lot 3, the
BUSTI. 231
land since owned by S. & W. Gates, now by Horton White. His sons were :
Abner, Laban, Daniel, Abraham, Edwin, Pardon, and Hardin. Laban,
Daniel, and Abraham died at Jamestown ; Pardon in . Ezra, a son of
Edwin, resides in Warren, Penn. Asa Smith settled on lot 2, which he
bought in 18 14. His sons were: Ammi, who resides in Penn.; Albert M.,
deceased ; Aaron J., Jasper, Lewelljoi J., and Edgar, in Busti. Clark
Smith, a brother of Asa, came in 1816, and settled on lot 2. His wife was
Rhoda Allen. His sons were : Oliver, Ransom J., Ezra, Sheldon, Harvey A.,
deceased; and Julius C, hardware merchant and postmaster at Busti. Of
the others, only Ransom resides in town. John Broadhead on lot 18. He
was a Methodist preacher. He removed to the West, and after a few years
returned, and lives with his son-in-law, Nathan Breed. His sons are : Jabez,
Fletcher, Jonathan, and James ; the last only resides in Busti ; the others
gone west. Hiram E. Knapp settled on the farm originally bought by Palmer
Phillips, lot II. He has two sons, Edwin and Lafayette. John Gill, on lot
3, and died on the farm on which Mark Jones resides. Gill has a son, Giles
T., in the West. Levi Jones on lot 12, where he died. A son, Edward,
lives in EUicott. Zenas K. Fox, on lot 11, where he still lives. He has 3
sons : Almon, a Congregational minister, in the West ; Alfred, who resides
on a part of his father's farm, a Methodist preacher ; and Albion, in Ten-
nessee.
In the south-west part of township i, Arthur P. Nichols settled on lot 44,
where he now lives. He has a number of sons, some of whom reside in the
town. Hiram L. Barton, about 1823, on lot 34, where he died. His sons
are : Livingston, on the old farm ; Allen, near the same ; De Warren, not in
Busti. W. Seabury settled early on lot 33, where he died, and where his
sons Pliny and Newell reside. Jeremiah Woodin, on the north part of lot
41; died in Harmony. His sons were : Abraham, who died in Mich.; Isaac,
who resides in Ellicott ; Samuel P. and Hiram J., both of whom died in
Busti ; and John P., who lives in Indianapolis, Ind. Arba Blodgett settled
on lot 25, bought in 1814, and died on the farm, leaving two sons, Loren,
now in Washington, D. C; and William, who died in Sugar Grove. Cyrenus
Blodgett, in 1815, bought on lot 33, and settled on 25 ; removed to Sugar
Grove, where he died. He had 2 sons : Alanson, a physician in Penn.; and
Alden, who died at Sugar Grove. Wm. Bullock, in 1814, purchased on lot
14. His wife is a sister of Palmer Phillips. They had four sons : Irvin, not
in the town ; Alvin, in town ; Arba, in Sugar Grove ; Chester, in Meadville.
The father served in the war of 18 12, and is a pensioner. A daughter is
the wife of David Albro.
In the west part of the town, Jesse Foster early resided where his son
Jacob now lives, and died on lot 29, where his widow resides.
In the central -gaiX. of the town, Nehemiah Mead settled on lot 21, where
he died many years ago. He had 4 sons : William, who removed to Minn.;
Ira G., and Thompson G., on the homestead ; and Francis, in Minn. Joseph
Ayres, on lot 30 ; was a justice of the peace. His sons are: Charles ; Alfred;
232 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Conway, who served in the late war, as lieutenant and captain of the gth
cavalry, and was killed ; and Sereno, now in New York. William Robbins
was an early purchaser on lot 29, where he died, and where his youngest son
Orrin resides. Other sons, John and Ira, live in town. David Palmeter,
on lot 14, in 1814. Sons : Orlando, in Ohio ; Dewitt C, dead ; Preston, in
Union, Penn.; Josiah, in Ohio. The father is dead. Josiah Palmeter, on
the same lot in 1811 ; was a justice, and lives in Minn. A son, Theron, is
also in Miim; Washington, in Ellicott.
A tannery was built by John Frank in 181 2. The first vats were troughs
made of logs. It was burned, and rebuilt, and continued until about ten or
twelve years ago. No other tannery, it is believed, was ever in this town.
A last factory was established by Mr. Frank, which was destroyed by fire,
and not rel^uilt. A trip-hammer was built by Giles Chipman and Lyman
Fargo, and continued several years.
Uriah Hawks, a little later, built a chair and spinning-wheel factory at the
same place, which also was discontinued, on account of the difficulty in main-
taining dams on the stream.
The first blacksmith in town is said to have been Patrick Camel, at the tan-
nery. Next, Chipman Sc Fargo commenced business near Camel's, and after-
wards removed their business 60 rods south, and added to it the manufacture
of edge tools with a trip-hammer. Present blacksmiths are Walter Stevens
and Wm. Howe.
The first store at the Comers was kept by Van Velzer, about 1830. The
next, by Ransom L. Blackmer ; and next by Valentine C. Clark & Co.
Present merchants — Adelbert P. Simmons, Exiwin Davis & Co., and Andrew
F. Husband & Co. Grocers — Martin F. Flagg & Co. Hardware — Julius
C. Smith. Boot and shoe-makers — Michael C. Frank, Davis Frank, Frank-
lin Hosford. Carriage-makers — Wm. Jones, Eli Whiting, Wm. Peckham.
Early carriage-makers were Giles T. Gill and Haskell.
Stephen J. Brown, probably the first physician who settled at Busti, came
about the year 1837, and practiced there about 20 years. Before his death
Dr. Beimett came and practiced a few years. Dr. Martin came in 18 — , and
is the present physician. Since he came, Drs. Alex. Boyd and John Lord
were here several years.
The first saw-mill at the Comers was built by Heman Bush, where a mill
is now owned by Alonzo C. Pickard. A clock factory was built at the same
place about 1830, by Samuel Chappell and James Sartwell, who continued
the manufacture for several years. After its discontinuance, a grist-mill was
built on the same site by Heman Bush ; and another afterwards by Francis
Soule. Both are now owned by Alonzo C. Pickard and Mark Jones. A
saw-mill was built near the south line of the town, by Elisha Devereaux,
where a mill is still in operation, on Stillwater creek. Another was built
near the east line of the town, by Samuel Hall, on the farm now owned by
his son John A. Hall. Another was built by George Stoneman, at the lake,
where a mill is still mnning. Orrin Stoddard erected a steam saw-mill at the
(Jl.
>-/<v^^ J '4 c^-Sr(jLyy
n
BUSTI. 233
Comers about 15 years ago, which is now owned by Reuben Green. A
planing-mill was attached, but soon discontinued ; and a basket-factory and a
shingle machine have taken its place.
The first town meeting was held at the house of Heman Bush, Tuesday,
March 2, 1824, and the following named persons were elected town officers :
Supervisor — Daniel Shearman. Town Clerk — Emory Davis. Assessors —
David Hatch, Homer Wellman, Samuel Garfield. Commissioners of High-
ways— Thomas Danforth, David Boyd, John Deming. Overseers of the
Poor — Heman Bush, John Gill. Commissioners of Schools — David Hatch,
Daniel Shearman, Clark Smith.
Names of Supervisors from 1824 to 1875.
Daniel Shearman, 1824 to '28, and 1833 — 6 years. Emri Davis, 1829 to
'32, and '34, '35, '40, '47 — 8 years. Pardon Hazeltine, 1836 to '39 — 4 years.
Henry C. Shearman, 1841, '42, '44, '45. Lorenzo Matthews, 1843, '48, '49,
'5°; '53- Stephen J. Brown, 1846. Theron Palmeter, 1851, '52, '54. John
B. Babcock, 1855. Emri Davis, Jr., 1856 to '58, and '61, '62 — 5 years.
John A. Hall, 1859, '60, '71. John R. Robertson, 1861, '63, '64, '68 — ^4
years. Elias H. Jenner, 1865, '72. Wm. B. Martin, 1866, '67. Harmon
G. Mitchell. 1869, '70. Alonzo C. Pickard, 1873, '74, '75.
Biographical and Genealogical.
Uriah Bentley, from Rensselaer county, came to Chautauqua county in
May, 1810, and settled on lot 9, township 2, range 12, now in the north part
of the town of Busti. He cleared a small piece of land, which he planted
with potatoes, and buUt a small house after the common pioneer pattern.
In the ensuing fall he returned for his family, and moved to his new home
with a horse team, by way of Mayville, where he arrived the last day of No-
vember, 1 8 10. There being no road on the west side of the lake, he
shipped his family and goods down the lake in a long canoe, reaching his
home at midnight. Uriah Bentley was a son of Caleb Bentley, and was bom
in Berlin, Rensselaer Co., June 21, 1779, and was married, December 28,
1800, to Nancy Sweet, who was bom May 7, 1779. Of Mr. Bentley it is
perhaps sufficient to say, that he passed through the common experience of
the industrious pioneer, and, like most of the early settlers, reared a goodly
number of worthy sons and daughters. They were : i. Nancy, who mar-
ried, first, Nicholas Frank, who died in the South, while on a lumbering tour,
soon after marriage ; second, Dan Higley. They have several children, and
reside in Iowa. 2. Polly, wife of Charles W. Sammis, who died in 1849.
She resides in Polo, 111., and has 8 children. 3. Uriah S., who married
Almira Daniels, and is deceased. She married, second, Clark Sweet, and
resides in Harmony. 4. Sidy I £., wife of Isaac Noble ; she had a daughter,
Minerva, and is deceased. Mr. N. has a second wife, and lives at Fluvanna.
5. Hiram, who died at about 60, unmarried. 6. Simeon G., who married
Alice, daughter of Gideon Gifford, and has no children. 7. Alexander,
who married Lavantia Norton, resides at Fluvanna, and has 4 sons : Sardius ;
234 HISTORV OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Gustavns A., who married Sarah WilUams; Charles M., and Uriah. 8. Gus-
tavus A,, who married CorneUa, daughter of John Steward, Sr., and had
two daughters: Marian, who died at 17, and Frances C, wife of John S.
Briggs, of Russelburg, Pa., and a son, Fred A. 9. Ulrica C, wife of
Theron E. Palnieter, Clear Lake, Cerro Gordo Co., la. ; has three children.
10. il/i>z^rwa, who married Alfred W. Steward, and is deceased; he resides
in Clymer.
Asa Bly, from Vermont to Otsego Co., N. Y. ; removed thence to
Chautauqua Co., in 18 — , And bought on lot 47, tp. 2, r. 12, the land on
which his sons Myron and Theron settled ; the former in 1809, the latter in
18 10. Myron moved down the Ohio river, and died in Kentucky ; and his
family returned. His son Myron, Jr., now resides in Ashville.
Theron Ely, son of Asa Bly, was born in Bennington, Vt., July 31, 1786,
and removed, in 1810, from Otsego Co., N. Y., to Harmony, on lot 47, near
the lake. He married, in 1805, Phebe Bemus. His children were : Theron
S. ; Harvey, who married Julia Ann Stoneman ; Desire, wife of Henry Love-
joy ; Henry Harrison, who lives on the homestead ; Sally, deceased ; Perry,
who married Esther Lovejoy, and served in the late war, and was killed in
the battle of the Wilderness ; and William, who died at about 1 7. Theron
Bly was a member of assembly in the year 1832, associated with Dr. Squire
White, of Fredonia. He died in March, 1850, aged nearly 64 years.
, Theron S. Bly, son of Theron Bly, was born in Edmeston, Otsego Co.,
Jan 29, 1806, and came, when 4 years old, with his father to Harmony. In
1830, at the age of 24, he was elected a justice of the peace, and reelected
for a second term of 4 years. He was for many years engaged in the mer-
cantile, milling and grain business, at Ashville. He was county clerk from
Jan., 1859, for a full term of three years. In 1862, he removed to James-
town, where he has been a justice of the peace from 1864 to the present
time ; having served in that office in both towns for about 20 years. He
was married, in 1830, to Mary Bly, of Madison Co., who died in March,
1850. His children were : i. ^«ri7/a _/., wife of Dr. Marvin Bemus, who re-
moved to Wisconsin, enlisted in the late war, and, on his way to the army,
was killed by a raib-oad accident near Chicago. 2. Mary E., wife of Edson
E. Boyd, a physician at Ashville, 3. Cordelia, who married Dwight Snow ;
they reside at Cohoes, Albany Co. 4. Ellen, deceased. 5. Webster W.,
who is married, and lives at Cohoes. In 1854, Mr. Bly married for a second
wife, Sarah A. Carpenter, who is still living.
Dea. Richard Butler, a native of Wethersfield, Conn., removed from
Hamilton, N. Y., to Ellicott, now comer of Busti, with his sons Solomon and
Harlow, and purchased the farms of Wm. Deland and John Numan, on
which farms the three families settled. All united with the Congregational
church, of which the father was chosen a deacon. He died in June, 1839,
aged 78. His widow died at the old homestead, March, 1852.
Emri Davis, bom in Wardsborough, Vt., Oct. 20, 1794, came to Ellicott
with his brother Ebenezer, July 3, i8iz. They were traveling from Vermont
BUSTI. 235
on foot ; and between Buffalo and Cattaraugus creek, they he^rd of the
declaration of war against Great Britain. There was a general alarm. Many
fled with their families to the East, having sold their crops and improvements
for little more than enough to pay the expenses of their removal. Timid
ones generally believed the Indians would soon murder those who remained.
Emri Davis married Amy, daughter of Joseph Akin, and soon after settled
in the Frank settlement, now Busti. He was eight times elected supervisor
of the town. He had 3 sons : Lafayette, Emri, and Adams, the last of whom
removed to Crawford Co., Pa. All had families. Emri Davis died Jan. 23,
i860, aged 68.
Frank Families. — Henry Frank and his brother Christopher emigrated
from Germany to America before the " old French war.'' They landed at
Philadelphia, and remained in the state of Pennsylvania for a number of
years, and removed to this state, and settled on the Mohawk river, at Frank-
fort, Herkimer Co. Henry Frank's sons were Henry, Lawrence, and Jacob,
who was killed in the Revolutionary war. His daughters were Eve, Mary
and Margaret. Eve and Mary were twins ; the former became the wife of
John Frank, Sr., of another Frank family noticed on a succeeding page; the
latter, the wife of the father of John Myers, an early settler in Carroll. The
wife and children of Henry Frank were captured by the Indians, in the time
of the French war. In an account of their captivity, John Frank, a son of
John Frank, Sr., says, in substance, as follows : His mother, at the age of ten
years, was taken by the Indians, and kept among them three years ; and her
twin sister, John Myers' mother, was taken at the same time, and was kept
a year longer, as she had the small-pox when her sister was exchanged for.
And he says, his mother's mother, five daughters, and a son eighteen mon^s
old, were taken to near Montreal — all at the same time. The mother had
to ca'rry the boy and keep up with the rest, or have him tomahawked. [The
above account leaves us without information respecting the term of the
captivity and the release of the mother and the children, other than the twin
sisters.]
Lawrence Frank, son of Henry Frank, above mentioned, was born in
Frankfort, Oct., 1749. In 1777, he was taken prisoner by the Indians and
tories, carried to Quebec, and kept in captivity 3 years and 3 months. He
was married in Frankfort to Mary Myers, who was bom in Germany, in 1753,
and came, when young, with her parents to Frankfort. Lawrence Frank died
in Busti, April 13, 1813; his widow, Dec, 1831. Their children were :
Lawrence, Jr., Margaret, Elizabeth, Peter, Henry L., John L., Michael,
Joseph, and Matthew. Lawrence, Jr., died in Herkimer Co.; Margaret,
wife of Stephen Frank, died in Ohio ; Elizabeth never came to this county;
Peter died in Ohio. Henry L. married Margaret Damoot and moved to
Kirtland, Ohio, where both died.
John L. Frank, son of Lawrence, Sr., was born at Frankfort, Nov. 29,
1786, and was married to Lucretia Chapman. In 181 1, he removed to
Busti, on lot d2, tp. i, r. 11, and subsequently to lot 6, r. 12, where Mrs.
236 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Frank died, March 14, 1874. Mr. F. lately died at Busti Comers. He
had 14 children, of whom 4 daughters died in infancy. The others were :
I. Michael C., who married Sally Sherwin, whose children were John S.,
Harriet E., Mary Jane, Matthew, Alice, Electa, and Addie. 2. Almira, the
wife of Ransom Burrows; both deceased. 3. Charles, who married Mary
Woodin, and has 3 sons: Warren A., George D., and John J. 4. Alonzo,
who married Jane Woodin, and lives at Blockville. His children are Levant
C, Harriet M., Jane, Opheha. 5. Mary Jane, who married Jacob Cham-
bers; and is dead. He resides at Pine Grove, Pa. 6. Harriet M., who
married Denison Palmer, and is dead. He lives in Pennsylvania. 7. Lorenzo,
who married Melissa Hames, and whose children are West, Sidney, and
Clara. 8. Davis, who married, first, Alvira Brown, second, Elizabeth
Brown, and whose children are Theodore, George, D wight, Laverne, Duane,
DeEtta, and Earl. 9. Marietta, who married Samuel Smith, whose children
are Levant and Frank. 10. Ariel, who married Margaret Steward, and has
two sons, Emmet and Fred.
Joseph Frank, son of Lawrence, was born Oct. 3, 1796, and came with
his parents to Busti in 1811. He was a volunteer in the war of 1812, and
killed in the Buffalo battle, Dec. 31, 181 3. He was shot through the head,
and scalped by the Indians ; and his body was buried in a common grave
with other killed, and never brought home. He was unmarried.
Stephen Frank emigrated from Germany to this country about the mid-
dle of the last century, with his son John Frank, then about 7 years old.
The place of his first settlement is not ascertained ; but it is supposed to
have been in Pennsylvania. John, the son, was married to Eve Frank, whose
father was also from Germany, and settled in that state. It is not known
that this Frank family was akin to Henry Frank and his descendants, or that
there was any connection prior to the marriage just mentioned. All of
them, however, removed to Frankfort from Pennsylvania before the Revolu-
tionary war.
John Frank, Sr., son of Stephen, above mentioned, was born in Ger-
many about the year 1743, and settled at Frankfort, Herkimer Co., N. Y.,
f'where he was married to Eve Frank, and whence he removed to Busti in
181 1, where he died, Nov. 5, 1833. He, with Lawrence, son of Henry
Frank, before mentioned, and two girls. Eve and Mary Frank, of the Stephen
Frank family, were captured, in the " old French war,'' by the French and
Indians, on the Mohawk, and taken as prisoners to Canada, where they were
kept several years among the Indians before they were ransomed. John
Frank was again taken prisoner in the Revojutionary war. At Oneida lake,
the first night after his capture, he escapecE&om his captors, and by the aid
of friendly Indians among the Oneidas, safely reached his home at German
Flats. In 181 7, Stephen, son of John Frank, Sr., with his family and his
parents, and his mother's maiden sister, moved down the Ohio river, and
stopped at Gallipolis, Ohio, where the father, John Frank, Sr., died. The
others proceeded to Columbus, Ind., where the maiden aunt died. Stephen,
eJLcy^<}^ 27?-rt^>^.
BUSTI. 237
with two of his sons, went with a flat bottomed boat and produce to New
Orleans ; and on his return he died on the Mississippi, and was buried on
the shore. His brother, John Frank, Jr., went to Indiana and brought his
mother back,, who died at his house some years after, at an advanced age.
His mother's maiden sister, on her return from her captivity among the In-
dians, had forgotten her mother tongue, and was taken from the Indians
against her will, having been kept from her relatives, and forgotten them.
The Franks suffered much from the Indians on the Mohawk.
John Frank had three sons : i. Stephen, who married Margaret, daughter
of Lawrence Frank the elder. Their children were : Nicholas, Matthew, Polly,
wife of Jacob Loy, Stephen Denus, Hiram, Eye, Solomon, Elizabeth, and
Jacob and Joseph, twins ; the last three of whom were bom after the removal
of the family south. 2. Nicholas, who married Thankful Landon, and had 5
children : William, Andrew, Stephen, David and Mary. William was mar-
ried, first, to Ursula Bushnell, whose children were : Darius ; Emma, wife of
Sylvester Abbott ; and Nicholas, who died at 1 7. He married, second,
Christiana Diefendorf, and had by her a son, John D., now on the homestead
of his father. Andrew was a shoemaker and tanner, having served under his
uncle, John, Jr. He was twice married ; first, to Sibyl Ames, who had a son,
Whitney, a daughter, Mrs. Fisher, of Randolph, and one or more dead ;
married, second, the widow of Pearl Johnson, and removed to Wisconsin,
where he died. Stephen married Amanda Watkins, and after her death, a
second wife, moved west, and died there. David married, first, Laura Ben-
nett, and after her death, her sister. His widow and family are in Minnesota.
Mary Ann married, first, Samuel Bowdish; second, John Ellsworth, and
has several children living. 3. John, Jr., the third son of John, Sr., married
Elizabeth Diefendorf, of German Flats, N. Y., and removed to Frank's set-
tlement, Feb., 1812. His children were : Abram, John D., who died at 14,
Margaret, Harriet, Perry, Christiana, and Elizabeth, all bom here. Abraham
married Fidelia Dexter, and had 3 children, Dwight, Gertrude, and Augusta.
Margaret married Darius M. Davis, whose children are : Adelaide, wife of
Frank Bartlett ; Harriet, wife of Abraham Hazeltine, cashier of the Savings
Bank, Warren, Pa.; Albert, who married Bell Porter, and lives in Warren ;
Hila, who married Ella Stoddard, and is in Warren ; Walter, and Dora, both
unmarried. Perry, son of John, Jr., resides in Iowa ; Christiana married
Francis Kidder, Jamestown, and has a daughter, Ada. Elizabeth married
Wm. Hicks, and is not living. All of the children of John Frank, Jr., were
in the settlement in 1859.
Michael Frank, son of Lawrence Frank, was bom at Frankfort, Herki-
mer Co., Dec. 18, 1788, and removed to Busti in 1811, and settled on lot
63, tp. I, r. II, where he died May 9, 1869. He was married in Frankfort
to Elizabeth Steward,'and had 10 children : i. Steward, who married Polly
A. Edmunds, and had 5 children who attained to majority : Lucy A., who
married Galusha M. Davis, and is deceased, leaving two children ; Elizabeth
M., who married Charles Ellis, and died in Pennsylvania, and left 4 children;
238 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
he resides in Michigan ; Mary, who became second wife of Galusha M.
Davis, and has two children ; Joanna and Martha J., both unmarried. 2.
Stephen, who married Abigail Hewitt in Mich., where they reside ; they have
6 children. 3. Lewis, who married Sophrona Perkins. He i^ deceased ;
she lives in Broome Co. 4. Lucy Ann, who died in infancy. 5. Horace,
who married Adelia Stevens, and has a son and 3 daughters. They live on
the old homestead. 6. Eunice, who married, first, Sylvester Babcock, and
had two daughters, both married. After the death of Mr. Babcock she mar-
ried Miles Lewis, of Harmony, and has two daughters. 7. Jason M., who
married Maria Palmer, and lives in Sugar Grove, Pa., and has 2 children
living. 8. John N., who married, first, Aurilla A. Palmeter, and had 3
daughters; second, Mrs. Cynthia Homer. They live in Jamestown. 9.
Emeline, wife of James D. Stearns, now of Jamestown. Their children living
are: Frank, who married Maria Pierce, and lives with his father; and Ella M.
James D. Stearns served three years in the late war, in a company of sharp-
shooters, and was in the battles of Suffolk, Va., Mine Run, in the Wilderness
campaign, etc. lo: Elizabeth Mercy, unmarried, residing in Jamestown.
Joseph Garfield was born in Worcester Co., Mass., April 17, 1780;
removed with his father to Stratton, Vt.; and in r8o3 was married to Lydia
Steams. In 1816, he settled in Pine Grove, Pa.; and about 1820 in Busti,
lot 39, where his son Joseph resides. His father, Eliakim, was a soldier of
the Revolution. His son Joseph was a captain in the war of 1812; and
served two terras as justice of the peace in Busti. He was an early member
of the Congregational church, and was such at the time of his death, Dec. 9,
1862. Mrs. G. died Sept. 15, 1852. Their children were : i. Hannah, v/\it
of Richard Killer, of Carroll, where she died. They had 10 children, of
whom Jediah, John, Martha Jane, Eliza, Cynthia, Alexander, and Nicholas
are living : all reside in Carroll. 2. Eliakim, who married Priscilla Root,
and has 6 children, Horace, Richard, Otis, Sarah, Mary, Jennie : all in the
county but Mary. 3. Anna, wife of Horace Bacon, both deceased. Their
children are: Mary Ann, OUve, Hannah, Joseph, Lydia, in Pa., and Priscilla.
4. 'Samuel, in Carroll, who married, successively, Susan Eastman, Elizabeth
Emery, and another. Children by the first wife, Anna and Susan ; by the
second, Morris Russell, Lydia and Lucy. 5. Lydia, wife of Martin Grout,
of Poland (?). Children living are : William, James, Martin, Lucy, and
Lydia. 6. Joseph, who married Lucy Ann Palmer, and lives in Kiantone.
Children : Martin, Eliakim, Samuel, and Joseph.
Aaron Martin, a native of Dutchess Co., settled, in 1813, in the east
part of Busti, on lot 44, tp. i, r. 11, on Stillwater creek. He was a tanner,
and commenced tanning on a small scale, but soon relinquished it, and at-
tended exclusively to farming. His tannery was the first in the south part
of the county, except that of John A. Pierce, at Fluvanna, which also was
abandoned in a few years. His children were : Wilham ; Isaac, who was in
the war of 1812, and died in Tennessee ; George, who was a justice in Kian-
tone; James, who removed to Kentucky; Maria, and Jane.
BUSTI. 239
Palmer Phillips settled on lot 11, tp. i, r. iz, which he bought in 1811.
He was a prominent citizen. He was elected, in i8i6, supervisor of Har-
mony, then including Busti, and held the oflBce by reelection until the town of
Busti was formed, in 1823, and including that year. He was the leader of
the first Methodist class formed within the limits of the town. It was formed
by Elder John Lewis ; and its original members were Palmer Phillips and
Asa Smith, and their wives, John Whittam, and Joseph and Daniel Phillips
sons of Palmer. Daniel became a preacher, and died at Sug&r Grove, Pa.,
in 1851.
Levi Pier came from Oxford, N. Y., to Busti, in 1814, and bought on
lot — , r. II. After the death of his wife, which occurred about two years
after, he returned to Chenango Co. ; and after two or three years he came
back, and settled permanently, where he remained until his death. He had
12 children : Elijah, Lois, Namah, Amasa, Sally, Silas, Abraham, Reuben,
Oliver, Lovisa, Roxa, David. Of these the following came to this county:
Sally, who married Aaron Root, who settled in Busti ; Reuben, who married
Margaret Acker, Harmony ; Oliver, who married Betsey Carpenter, and lives
at Corry; Lovisa, wife of Horace Blanchar, both deceased; Roxa, wife of
Wm. Martin, of Kiantone ; and David, who married Esther Pierce, both
deceased. Mr. Levi Pier died in March, 1826.
Abraham Pier, son of Levi Pier, was bom in Great Barrington, Mass.,
April 30, 1789. He came from Oxford, N. Y., to Busti, and purchased the
land in 181 2, where he now resides, ij^ m. south-west from Jamestown. In
March, 18 14, he moved with his father's family from Oxford. A year or
two after their arrival, Mrs. Levi Pier died ; and Mr. Pier returned to
Chenango ; and after two or three years he came back and settled here per-
manently one mile west from Abraham's, where he died. Abraham Pier was
married to Olive Marsh, Dec. 17, 1815, and had by her 5 children, of whom
only two survived the period of infancy : Elvira, wife of Dr. Sherman Gar-
field, who died on his way to the South for the benefit of his health ; and
Lovisa E., wife of Elias H. Jenner, who resides with his father-in-law, in the
same house, but owning and occupying an adjoining farm. After the death
of his first wife, Abraham Pier married Mary Ann Simmons, his present wife.
Theron Plumb, a native of Berkshire Co., Mass., is said to have settled,
in the winter of 1811-12, on lot 60, tp. 'i, r. 11, then in the town of Ellicott,
which, however, was not formed until June following. He appears as an
original ■pwTcha.seT only as purchasing lot 7, tp. i, r. 12, which was never in
Ellicott. He must, however, have settled in Ellicott, as he was early a
prominent citizen of that town, having been elected to many offices in it, and
was in 1815 appointed, by the council of appointment, a justice of the peace,
and held the office for several years, and was an efficient magistrate. He re-
moved to Ohio in 1820, where he buried his wife in 1835. He returned to
Busti in 1839. Late in life he removed to Iowa, where he died.
JuDSON Southland was bom in Mendon, Mass., April i, 1793. His
father, born in New Jersey, was an iron forger by trade, and soon after his
240 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
marriage enlisted in the Revolutionary war, and was at the battles of Bunker
Hill, Monmouth, and several others. Judson was the youngest of nine
children. In 18 18, he, with others, started from Massachusetts, and arrived
at Mayville the ist day of March, having made the journey by sleighing. He
taught school during the summer, and returned in the fall on horseback,
making the journey in three weeks. In May, 18 19, he married Rhoda For-
bush, of Grafton, Mass. ; and in the ensuing fall they removed to Chautauqua
Co., with a three-horse team, and, after a tedious, journey of five weeks, arrived
at Jamestown, and made a short stop with Elisha Allen, then keeping a hotel
at the south-east comer of Main and Third streets. In the spring of 1820,
he built a plank house on the top of what was called English Hill, 2 y^ miles
from Jamestown, and conveyed his wife, one child, and a hired girl, on an
ox-sled, through the woods, by marked trees, to their new home. In 1825,
he moved to Jamestown, where he kept the Allen House one year. He then
built a house on the north-west comer of Fourth and Pine streets, where F. A.
Fuller now resides. He served nine years as deputy sheriff under sheriffs
Daniel Sherman, Benj. Douglass, and Wm. Sexton, and as sheriff from Jan.
I, 1838, for the full term of three years. In 1841, he purchased the farm
where he now resides, on the lake road in Busti. His wife died in Galena,
111., Sept. I, 1853. In 1856, he married Martha P. Holbrook, of Grafton,
Mass. Mr. Southland had 7 children — all bom at Jamestown : 1 . Caroline
M., who married Rev. Asahel Chapin ; residing now in Vinton, Iowa. They
have four sons : Judson S., Asahel, Edward S., and William Fisk. 2. Silas
E., who married Caroline E. R. Aldrich, of Mendon, Mass. ; residing now
in Busti. 3. William J., who married Marian E. Hastings, of Jamestown,
and died in Busti, Dec. 28, 1853. Widow and one daughter reside in Kent,
Ohio. 4. Jonathan F., who married Jane E. Barnes in Grafton, Mass. ; re-
side in Ellicott. They have two sons, Martin Henry and Charles William.
5. John Clark, who died in infancy. 6. Edward H., who married Caroline E.
Randolph, of Panama ; reside now in Jamestown. 7. Caroline M., who mar-
ried J. T. Stoneman, of Busti ; have one daughter, Carrie, and reside in Iowa.
Ira C. Stoddard, bom at Brattleboro', Vt., was married to Charlotte
Joy, and removed with his family, in 1819, to Eden, Erie Co., N. Y., where
he was pastor of the Baptist church 12 years. He -subsequently ministered
to the church of Busti 4 years; to thfe church at Ripley 5 years; and to the
church at Mayville i year. After closing his pastoral labors, he returned to
Busti, where he has since resided. Of his 9 children, all but one attained
maturity: Jacob; Ira J.; Ansel; Charlotte, [deceased,] wife of George An-
drews; Mary Elizabeth, wife of Perry Frank, Iowa ; Lucy V., wife of James
H. Wood, Frewsburgh; Orlando J., and Hiram D. Jacob served in the late
war. Hiram enlisted during the late war, and was in the battles of Malvern
Hill, Fair Oaks, Gettysburg, in the Wilderness, etc., and was taken prisoner
and confined in Libby prison. Ira J. went as a missionary to Hindoostan
in 1847; and, after 9 years' labor there, returned. After three years he went
to the same field; returned to America in 1873 ; and now resides in Iowa.
W.,^^^^^r;?^,eJ^^^^^.<^fe^^^^t?^.
CARROLL. 241
Stephen Wilcox, Sr., born in R. I., August 8, 1762, was a soldier in the
Revolution, moved to this county in 1815, and his family, with Ephraim, in
18 16, and settled on lot 65, tp. i, r. 11, where his son Ephraim still resides.
He died in 1846, aged 84 years. His wife died in 1849, aged 85. Their
children w^ere: Stephen; Eunice, wife of John Steward, Sr.; Ephraim; Abel;
Lury, wife of Edward Akin; Alfred, and Roxana, wife of Adin RusseU.
Stephen, Jr., bought, in 181 2, a part of lot 55, tp. i, r. 11, and is said to
have come to Busti with Cyrus Fish in 1813.
The Baptist Church of Busti was organized August 30, 18 19, by a council
consisting of Elders Ebenezer Smith, Paul Davis, and Jonathan Wilson.
Members uniting at the time of the organization, were Daniel Sartwell,
Enoch Alden, Ebenezer Davis, Benjamin Covel ; and, it is believed, Henry
L. Frank, John L. Frank, John Frank, Jr., and Elijah Devereaux, also were
first members. A few days after, William Frank and Mary Ann Shepard
were admitted. The first church edifice was erected in 1836 ; the present
one in 1853. The first pastor was Rev. Paul Davis.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Busti Corners was organized in 18 19,
with sixty members, by Rev. Alvin Burgess, the first pastor. The church
edifice was built the same year.
CARROLL.
Carroll was formed from EUicott in 1825. It was named in honor of
Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Md., one of the signers of the declaration of
independence. Kiantone was taken off in 1853. Its surface is. broken and
hilly in the north-east and east parts, and rolling in the south and south-west.
The highest summits are said to be about 900 feet above Lake Erie. The
soil is a clay loam in the north and east, and a gravelly loam in the south
and west parts. The Connewango creek, the principal stream, enters the
town on its north line, on lot 48, about 2)^ miles east of the north-west
comer, and, taking a winding, south-westerly course, makes a small curve
into Kiantone ; then, after meandering southward along the west line of the
town, leaves the township line, and thence, running in an easterly and a
south-easterly direction, forms the town boundary between Carroll and Kian-
tone to the Pennsylvania line. Frewsburgh, a post village in the north-west
part, contained, in 1870, a population of 379. Fenton\alle, in the south-west
comer of the town, has a post-office and a population of 82.
Original Purchases in Township i, Range 10.
1808. July, Joel Tyler, 51. George Sloan, 59; [now Kiantone.]
1809. March, Samuel Anderson, 57; [now Kiantone.] June, Charles.
Boyles, 42. Isaac Walton, 41.
1 8 10. March, George W. Fenton, 52.
16
242 HISTORV OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
i8ii. October, Matthew Turner, 53. November, Ebenezer Cheney, 54.
Matthew Turner, 54.
181 2. January, John Frew, 61.
181 3. September, Robert Russell, 57; [lot now in Kiantone.] Decem-
ber, Amasa Littlefield, 36.
1814. March, Ebenezer Cheney, 36. May, Ebenezer Cheney, 46,47,
54, 55. Ebenezer Davis, 37. Benj. Jones, 23, 28. Levi Jones, 24, 28.
Elijah Braley, 43. Horatio Dix, 28. July, James Hall, 54. September,
Aaron Forbes, 64. November, Robert Russell, 57 ; [now in Kiantone.]
1815. March, Josiah H. Wheeler, 46. Wheeler and Hall, 32, 40. Wm.
Sears, 31.
1816. May, Jonathan Covell, 43. Eli Fames, 38.
1817. May, Benjamin Russell, 30.
1 8 18. May, Aaron Forbes, 64. November, Levi Jones, 23.
1819. January, Josiah H. Wheeler, 39.
1820. June, John Frew, 62.
1821. November, John Myers, [lot not given.]
1822. September, Isaac Eames, 39.
1823. October, James Hall, 15.
1824. January, John and James Frew, 20. Feb., John Myers, 20. April,
John Frew, 27. Sept., Daniel Wheeler, 27. Oct., Truman Comstock, 31.
1826. May, Hiram Covey, 14. James Covey, 14. Jonah R. Covey, 14.
June, Taylor Aldrich, 28.
1827. June, Wm. Haines, 26. John F. Bragg, 48. October, Robert
Russell, 49.
A correct and reliable sketch of the earliest settlement in Carroll is not
easily obtained. The State Gazetteer says Joseph Akin, from Rensselaer Co.,
was the first settler in town, located on lot 29, in Jan., r8o7 ; and gives the
names of several other early settlers in that town, none of whom ever resided
therein ; but settled on and near Stillwater creek in the town of Kiantone.
The County Gazetteer and Directory of 1873 substantially adopts the mistake ;
and, in its sketch of Kiantone, gives the names of the same persons as first
settlers of that town also. And accuracy is the more difficult from the fact,
that the names of the first settlers and dates of purchase do not appear on
the Company's book. Judge Foote says : " From 1798, [when the range and
township lines were run,] to 1807, no further surveys were made in Ellicott ;
[meaning the four townships embraced in that town when formed.] During
this interval, a few persons settled on lands not yet surveyed into lots."
It is presumed that the earliest settler within the present bounds of Carroll
was one of the three who took up their lands in 1809. They were : Isaac
Walton, lot 41, June 29, and Joel Tyler and Charles Boyles, July 28. Tyler
is known to have been on his land a month or longer, prior to the date of his
article. Geo. W. Fenton came the next year ; and John Frew, early in 1812.
John Russell, residing on the Mahoning, in Pennsylvania, in the neighbor-
hood of the Frew family, came out to Connewango in 1800, to explore the
country in Western Pennsylvania. He located a lot of land, and returned
with a good report of the country about Connewango, by which many were
induced to emigrate with him. Russell being a carpenter, he made a boat
CARROLL. 243
in two parts, which could be put together and taken apart at pleasure. It
was calculated for a light draught of water, to go up the Susquehanna, Sine-
mahoning, etc., to take the goods of the emigrating company, comprising
John Russell and his family, including his sons Robert, John, and Thomas,
Mr. Hood, Lapsley, John Bar, Hunter, and others. Also David and James
Brown, [John came afterwards,] young men and single, from Belfast, Ireland.
Hugh Frew and his sons started with the company. Frew and Russell had
each a yoke of oxen and some cows. The journey up the streams, with the
teams through the woods, was slow and tedious. They came up the Sine-
mahoning, and across portage, with boat, to drift wood, and took the boat
apart, and brought it on wagon wheels to canoe place on Allegany river ; put
the boat together again, calked and pitched it, and came down the Allegany
to the Connewango, and up that stream to a little above where Russellburg
now is ; thence to " Beech Woods," so called, now Sugar Grove. Hugh
Marsh, from New Jersey, Robert Miles, father of Frederic, Robert, and John,
and Stephen Ross, father of Benjamin, had got in befpre them. At Warren
there was no building- except the Holland Land Company's store-house, in
which resided a family who had charge of the Holland Company's stores sent
thither to sell to the settlers. Daniel Jackson had a small mill, (the bolt
turned by hand,) at the mouth of Winters' or Jackson's run, above Warren.
When the emigrants arrived at Beech Woods, they had no beds except the
ticks, which, for the want of straw, they filled with leaves scraped from the
ground. Their clothes were of home-made linen and woolen cloth. They
had no money to buy more ; and they had to wear mostly linen and tow,
summer and winter, because flax they could raise. The woods abounded
with wolves to kill sheep, and bears to kill hogs. Deer were plenty, but the
settlers had no guns. After a while, they procured guns and supplied them-
selves with venison. The Indians, who hunted in the fall and winter, would
sell venison and moccasins ; but they would take in payment only silver,
salt, or flour, of which the settlers had none to spare. They soon learned to
make good moccasins and other articles of clothing. They tanned their deer
skins with deer's brains and smoke, as the Indians did. In the winter they
found a plenty of bee trees, as the bees would come out in warm, thawing
days, and fall upon the snow. They would then mark the trees, and cut
them the next summer or fall. The farm in Pennsylvania, on which John
Russell settled in 1800, joined the state line. John and his sister Molly,
wife of Jesse Northrup, were the only children of John Russell, Sr., living in
1866. John Russell died at his old homestead in February, 1818. His
widow survived him about 10 years.
Thomas Russell, son of John, was married to Polly, daughter of Judge
Jonathan Thompson, July 12, 1815. They removed to their new mill on
Cassadaga creek in August, and lived in a log house. They had 1 1 children,
9 of whom were living in 1866. Thomas Russell was born in Ireland in
1783, and was about 5 years old when the family came over the ocean. He
died in Jamestown, where he was residing, Sept. 11, 1865, aged 82.
244 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
John Owen was a native of Windsor, Conn., and was a soldier in the old
French war, and in the war of the Revolution. He came with his family
from the Susquehanna river to Warren, Pa., about the year 1806, and up the
Connewango in 1808. After several removals, he settled on lot 41, east side
of the Connewango, adjoining the state line, where he resided 25 or 30
years, and kept a tavern, or house of entertainment, more especially for
lumbermen in rafting times, during spring and fall floods, and for travelers
on the state road that crossed the Connewango at the state line. He kept
also a private ferry for those wishing to cross that stream previously to the
building of the bridge. He is said to have been, one of the most keen,
joking, story-telling, good-natured men. Many a man has laughed at the old
man's stories and jokes till his sides were sore. He had a singular impedi-
ment in his speech, a kind of stutter, which seemed to add to the interest
and point of his stories and jokes. Many a night, when his floors were
covered with weary raftsmen for want of sufficient beds to hold them all, they
were kept awake till a late hour by his queer and witty stories. He was a
stranger to sickness ; and it might be truly said that he " died of old age."
He was with the English army in the attack on Quebec in the old French
war, and was a pensioner for services in the American army in the Revolu-
tionary war. He died in Carroll, Feb. 6, 1843, aged 107 years, according to
the records of Windsor, Conn., his native town. Ira Owen, a son of John
Owen, by his third wife, came with his father to Connewango, and settled on
land east of his father, where he lived till he left the country. He was with
the Chautauqua militia at the Buffalo battle, and had the reputation of a
brave soldier, and an excellent marksman. In the presence of a number of
his fellow-soldiers, he took deliberate aim with his rifle, and killed a pursuing
Indian, while our militia were retreating from Black Rock. -Reuben, the
youngest son, lived with his father till his father's death, and continued to
live on the old homestead.
In the vicinity of Frewsburgh, John Myers, from Herkimer Co., settled
early on the Connewango, where he kept a hotel, and where he still resides,
at an advanced age (?). Of his 8 sons, Peter, the eldest, is not living ; John,
Jacob, Robert, Lyman, James, and William, reside in the town ; Charles, in
the West. Of the 5 daughters, Betsey, wife of Jacob Sternberg, resides in
town ; Mary married George Budlong, removed West, and is deceased ; Re-
becca is the wife of James R. Frew, and is not living ; Adaline married
Orson Annis, and removed West ; and Jane married William Hunt, and
lives in Jamestown.
Horatio N. Thornton, bom in Otsego Co., N. Y., removed with his father
to Ripley in 1816. In 1828 he settled in Kiantone, and in 1831 was married
to Eunice N. Greene; and removed in 1837 to where he now resides, i m.
north-east from Frewsburgh. His children were : Helen R., who married
Joseph Bamsdall, and resides at Titusville, Pa.; Harriet B., who married
Joseph B. FoUett, and resides at Kansas City, Missouri ; Horatio N., who
died in infancy; Rufus G., who died at 23 ; and Horatio K.
CARROLL. 245
Otis Moore settled early on lot 45, and owned the saw-mill i m. east of
Frewsburgh, which he subsequently rebuilt, and which is now owned by his
son Otis. His children are : Mahala, wife of Dwight Keet, Fentonville ;
Minerva, wife of HoUis Boyd, gone West ; Persis, who married Reuel Jones,
Frewsburgh ; Isabel, wife of Asa Tinkcom, Frewsburgh. Sons : E. G., who
married Minerva Boyd ; Otis, who married Maria Moore, and lives on the
farm of his father ; George, who married Deborah, daughter of W. H. Har-
rison Fenton, at Fentonville ; Leverett, married, and lives at Frewsburgh.
Luther Howard settled in Frewsburgh and purchased where his son Dyer
Howard now lives. Another son, Leland, was killed by being thrown from
a horse. Mitta is the wife of Geo. W. Fenton, Jr. Sarah was married to
James Parker, who died in 1863. Eliza Ann is the wife of David Frew, of
Frewsburgh. Maria married Washington Young, and after his death, Charles
Howard, who resides in the village.
In the south part of the town, Edmund White settled early on lot 27, and
subsequently removed to Fluvanna. His sons, James, Wesley and Silas,
reside in the village ; Warner, in Penn. A daughter, Isabel, married Eli
Davis, and lives on the old White place ; Agnes married Rev. Emerson
Mills, now of Forestville; Cynthia married Charles Ward, and lives in
Frewsburgh ; Elizabeth, wife of Warner Bush, a Methodist preacher, resides
in California.
In the south-west part of the town, Otis Alvord was an early settler at
Fentonville, and died there. Francis, a son, is a preacher of the Universal-
ist faith ; another son, Frederick, is proprietor of the Weeks House, James-
town. Luther Forbish, from Massachusetts, came to Carroll about the year
1830, and settled on lot 34, where he resided until his death, in 1863. He
had 12 children, 6 sons and 6 daughters. Of the sons, Daniel,. Corydon,
Luther A., and Joel, reside in Carroll ; Marion is in Sheffield, Pa. ; Henry-
died at about 22. Of the daughters, Eliza Ann is the wife of John H. ^^^lt-
sie ; and Mary, wife of Dyer Howard ; both in town ; Lucy and Sarah, mar-
ried, are in Iowa ; Melvina, married, is in Warren, Pa. ; Nancy, deceased,
was the wife of Samuel Rice.
Dorastus Johnson, from Cattaraugus Co., about 1845, settled at Fenton-
ville, lot 33, where he now resides. He had 6 sons and a daughter. Ira,
one of the sons, died in the late war, in the battle 0/ Fredericksburg ;
Calvin, another son, served in the war, and died of disease contracted in
the army.
Jacob Adams, from Massachusetts, about 1845, settled on lot 42. His
wife was a sister of Luther Forbish. Their sons were : Hiram and Joseph,
who live in town ; Cyrus, who died in the late war ; and Ira, who died a few
years ago in Carroll.
In the north part of the town, Moses Taft, from New England, settled in
Carroll on Case creek, and was one of a company owning a mill, the lowest
erected on that stream. He afterwards removed to Michigan. Case creek
derived its name from Case, a pioneer on the east side of the Conne-
246 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
wango, and a brother of Laban Case. He built a shanty, and made a small
improvement on the shore of the Connewango; but the agent of the Holland
Company refused to seU him the land ; and he was compelled to abandon it.
Hiram Thayer, from Hampshire Co., Mass., came to Jamestown in 1819,
and to this town in 1820. In 1829 he bought a part of lot 39, where he has
resided till the present time. He married Mary Eames, and has had 9
children : John M., who was married to Margaret Cowen, and resides in
Nebraska; Isaac W., to Lucy Cowen; Mary Ann, to Wm. Mahan, and lives
in Penn. ; Lois Eliza, who died at 21, unmarried ; Hiram E., who was mar-
ried to Mary Lawson, and lives in town ; Sibyl B., to Wm. H. H. Fenton,
Jr. ; EUen M., to Emery Davenport, Poland; Orris E., to Emma Markham;
and Frank E.
Veron Eaton, from Vermont, about r823, settled lyi miles north-east
from Frewsburgh, where he now resides, at the age of 77. His children
were : Judson, who died at about 29 ; Pauline ; Elizabeth, wife of Edwin
Curtis, both deceased ; Martha, wife of Ebenezer Thornton ; Mary ; and
Sarah, killed by lightning, at the age of 24.
Dutee Herrington settled early on lot 32, and has long owned a saw-mill
on Case's run. Orsino Comstock settled on lot 3r, and died there, leaving
two sons : Butler, who has removed to Minn. ; and Philo, whq lives in
Frewsburgh. Another son, Asa, * * ». Goodin Staples settled early in
the north-east part of the town, on lot 8. His sons, Goodin and Elisha,
reside there. John Bragg settled in that part of the town where his sons
Joshua, Joseph, Isaac, and James reside. Richard Hiller settled on lot 30.
His sons were : Jedediah, John, Alexander, and Nicholas. Jedediah resides
in Pennsylvania ; the others, in town.
John Townsend settled near the center of the town, and bought the saw-
mill previously built by Reuben and John Thayer. He subsequently rebuilt
the mill, which is now owned by his son Samuel. Another son, William,
lives with his mother in the neighborhood. The father is not living.
Christopher Whitman, a member of the Society of Friends, settled where
his son Arthur now resides, near the center of the town. Another son,
Dexter, resides in Frewsburgh.
The first town meeting was held at the house of Wm. Sears, March 6,
1826, [now in Kiantone,] and the following named officers were elected:
Supervisor — James Hall. Town Clerk — John Frew. Assessors — ^James
Parker, Levi Davis, James Frew. Commissioners of Highways — E. Kidder,
Geo. W. Fenton, Simeon C. Davis. Overseers of Poor — E. Kidder, Geo. W.
Jones. Collector — Asa Moore. Constables — Asa Moore, Hiram Dickerson.
Commissioners of Schools — John Frew, James Hall, James Parker. In-
spectors of Schools — Wm. Sears, Simeon Covell, Levi Davis. Pound-keepers —
Geo. W. Fenton, Wm. Sears.
Supervisors from 1826 to 187J.
James Hall, 1826 to '33, and 1839 — 9 years. James Parker, 1834 to '37,
CARROLL. 247
and 1856, '57 — 6 years. Esbai Kidder, 1838. Phineas Spencer, 1840.
Judiah E. Budlong, r84i. Gordon Swift, 1842, '43, '44. John Frew, 1845.
Reuben E. Fenton, 1846 to '52 — 7 years. Edwin Eaton, 1853, '73. Wm.
H. H. Fenton, 1854, 1865 to '71 — 8 years. Charles L. Norton, 1855, 1858
to '64 — 8 years. Lucius M. Robertson, 1872. Wm. Sheldon, '74. Albert
Fox, 1875.
Perhaps no other township in the county has had so many saw-mills in
operation at the same time, as that which constitutes the town of Carroll.
We find on the county may of 1854, the names of five proprietors of mills on
the small stream which rises in the south-east part of the town, and enters the
Connewango creek near Fentonville. Within about a mile above Fenton-
ville were the mills of L. Forbush, D. WUtsie, J. Brokaw, another the owner
of which is not named, and S. Smith's miU near the head of the stream. On
Frew's run was Frew's saw-mill, near the Connewango. Above this were
James Wheeler's, Otis Moore's, Job Toby's, John Myers, Jr.'s, John Town-
send's, Henry Bennett's, James Frew's, N. Gavit's, Cowen's, and one or two
others. Also Hugh A. Frew's flouring-mill, at Frewsburgh. On Case run, in
the north and north-east part of the town, were the mills of Smith Cass, D.
Harrington, G. W. Fenton, Jr., J. & C. Pope, Charles Pope ; and on
branches of the stream, the mills of A. Comstock and L. Cowen. There
was also, in the north-east comer of the town, a steam saw-mill owned by
Franklin Baker — the whole number being between twenty and twenty-five.
Probably all were not running so late as twenty years ago. And by the
diminution of water and timber, the number has been greatly diminished ;
the number at present in operation has not been ascertained.
Jeflferson Frew started a steam saw-mill at Frewsburgh about 2 years ago,
which is now in operation. About 750,000 feet of lumber are made in a
year at this mill, and run down the river.
Edward Hayward and Edwin Moore established, in 1872, a hand-sled fac-
tory, and made, in two years, about 18,000 sleds, and then converted it into
a stave-mill — the staves to be used for butter packages and kegs, for shipping
to the eastern market. They have made about 800,000 the past year. This
factory was begun by Moore, Spink & Co. Edwin Eaton bought it in the
spring of 1874; and Edward W. Scowden stocks the mill, and hires the pro-
prietors to manufacture the staves, and will probably keep up the. amount
manufactured.
Wood & White established a stave-factory about 1868 or 1869 ; ran it a
few years; then [1872] rented it to Scowden, who ran it about 2 years,
[to the fall of '74], making about 600,000 staves the first year, and 700,000
the next. April 14, 1875, it was destroyed by fire.
^firkin-stave factory was started in 1864 or '65, by Edward Hayward. In
187 1, it was bought by John, Jr., and Henry Myers, and converted into a
manufactory for barrel staves, and is now in operation.
248 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Biographical and Genealogical.
George W. Fenton was bom Jn Hanover, N. H., Dec. 20, 1873. In
1804, he left Broadalbin, N. Y., where his father had settled, and traveled to
Pittsburgh, then a small village, and thence down the Ohio on an exploring
tour to Louisville, Ky. He returned to Pittsburgh, and commenced trading
in goods and provisions, in a canoe, up the Allegany river and French creek,
which business he followed two or three years. In the winter of 1805-6, he
taught a school at Warren, Pa., the first ever taught there. He there married
Elsie Owen, who was bom in Lunenburg, N. Y., July 8, 1790. He is said
to hive removed to his new log cabin on the south side of the outlet of
Chautauqua lake, in the spring of 1807, where the only settlers on the outlet
were William Wilson and James Culbertson, who were on the north side.
In 1809, he sold his farm, and removed to lot 52, on the east side of the
Connewango. [The date of the purchase of this land was March, 18 10.]
Mr. Fenton died March 3, i860. His widow died Feb. 26, 1875. Their
children were : i. Roswell O., who married Lenora Akin, and had 4 sons
and 4 daughters; Mr. Fenton deceased. 2. George tV.,yr., who married
Mitta Howard, and has 2 sons and 4 daughters. 3. William If. H., who
married Catherine Edmonds, and has a son, William H. H., Jr., and had 4
daughters, of whom one died in infancy. 4. John F., who married Maria
Woodward, and is deceased ; he had 3 sons and 5 daughters ; one of the
sons died in infancy. 5. Reuben E., [see sketch. Hist, of Jamestown.]
Hugh Frew was bom in Killyleagh, county of Down, Ireland, about
1758, and was married to Mary Russell, in the same place, in 1787. They
sailed from Belfast, Ireland, in May, 1794, and arrived at Wilmington, Ches-
ter Co., Pa., in June. Mr. Frew was very poor when he landed. He worked
at ditching the first six months, at $4 a month; and his wife supported the
family by spinning flax on the little wheel. With the money received for the
six months' wages, he bought a cow, which died before he had taken fi-om
her a single mess of milk. He removed to Dansville, North Branch of
Susquehanna, Pa. Being a miller, as the Frews had been by occupation for
generations, he obtained a situation in a grist-mill with three run of stones,
at $8 a month. In 1800, the family emigrated through the wilderness, up
the Sinemahoning creek to the head of the Allegany, and down the Allegany
to Warren, and up the Connewango to Beech Woods, now Farmington, Pa,
where they located and endured great hardships. There was not then a
white settler in Chautauqua county. Hugh Frew and his wife and sons, after
their arrival in August, cleared 5 acres of land and sowed it with wheat the
first fall, by working day and night. The father and sons, John and James,
cleared up a farm, built a grist-mill, and were in comfortable circumstances.
David, the only other, and the youngest son, died soon after landing at Wil-
mington. John and James subsequently settled in Carroll. The family
finally sold the farm in Pennsylvania, and all removed to Frewsburgh. Hugh
Frew died there in December, 1831, aged 73. [See Russell Family.]
John Frew, son of Hugh, was bom in Killyleagh, Ireland, Aug. 2, 1789,
CARROLL. 249
and emigrated with his father to America, and to Farmington, Pa. [See
sketch of Hugh Frew.] In 1809, John Frew bought an interest in lands on
the east side of the Connewango, in the present town of Carroll, at Frews-
burgh, where he erected mills with Thomas Russell. His brother James
purcha.sed the interest of Thomas Russell. They built mills, cleared farms,
and prospered. John Frew helped Edward Work build his saw-mill on the
outlet of Chautauqua lake. He said he commenced sawing for Work on
his mill, May 8, 1809, and worked through the summer. From the plank
he sawed, 12 salt-boats were made to take salt down the outlet and the
Allegany to Pittsburgh. Much salt was taken down in the fall of 1809.
John and James Frew and Thomas Russell erected their saw-mill at the
mouth of Frew's run, on the east side of the Connewango, in 18 11. In or
about the year 18 14, Russell sold his interest to the Frews, who erected near
the saw-mill a grist-mill from the remains of the old grist-mill in Pennsyl-
vania, in 1817; their father being concerned with them. It was an overshot
mill and did much grinding, and was tended by their father. John and
James Frew had all their property in common; and no jealousy ever ap-
peared to exist between them. They were, however, advised to divide their
property to prevent difficulty in their families in case of the death of either
of them. This was amicably done not long before the death of James, who
was killed at the raising of a building. In 18 16, John Frew was elected
supervisor of the town of EUicott, [then embracing Carroll,] and was con-
tinued in that office by reelection until 1822, inclusive, after which he de-
clined a reelection. He was appointed a judge and justice in 1820, which
offices he declined. He is said to have been a man of sound judgment and
strict integrity, and a friend and liberal patron of the early improvements of
the county. Having lived to see the wilderness become a well cultivated
country, and the site of his residence in Carroll a prosperous village bearing
his own name, he closed his life in September, 1865, aged 76 years.
James Frew, second son of Hugh, was bom in Killyleagh, Ireland, about
1791, and was married to Rebecca, daughter of Josiah H. Wheeler, of
Frewsburgh. Mr. Frew resided in Frewsburgh until his death. He was killed
in assisting to raise a building, by the falling of a bent, which struck him on
the back of the neck. He died August 24, 1834, aged 43 years. While in
partnership with John, he seemed to choose managing business at home, and
having his brother attend to business out of town. He was disinclined to
hold any public office, though he was once prevailed on to accept the office
of assessor. He was out in one campaign with Gen. Harrison's army in the
war of 18 1 2, and endured great hardships and privations at Maumee, River
Raisin, etc. He was known as a superior marksman with a rifle. He had 5
sons: John H., Miles, Josiah, Jefferson, and David.
RuFus Greene, bom in Amherst, Mass., removed from Vermont to what
is now Kiantone, in 1827 ; thence, after three years, to this town, on lot 51,
near the Connewango, on the farm owned by the late Roswell O. Fenton.
Mr. Greene was for many years a justice of the peace. He had 6 children :
250 HISTORY OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Eunice N., wife of Horatio N. Thornton; Mary, wife of Albert M. Thornton ;
Sarah, who married Wm. Corkins, and is deceased; Lutheria, who married
Perrin Sampson, and lives at Springville, Erie Co., N. Y., with whom her
mother now resides; Emily, wife of Henry W. Sampson, South Valley, Catt.
Co.; Rufus, Jr., who married Kate L. Gould, and removed, in 187 1, to
Newell, Buena Vista Co., Iowa. Rufus Greene died Jan., r868.
Joseph Waite, the eldest son of Silas Waite, was bom in 'Wardsborough,
Vt., July 4, 1787, and was married, Oct. 17, 181 1, to Olive Davis, who was
born in the same town, Sept. 16, 1786. She was related to the Davises in
Kiantone and Busti. Mr. Waite was a thorough " Green Mountaineer," over
six feet high, and weighed about 250 pounds. The town was rough and
mountainous, and his parents were poor. His advantages for education were
very limited. He learned to write on birch bark. He learned at school
simply to read, write, and cypher. He learned the trade of saddle and har-
ness-making, and carried it on for a brief period. He was appointed a
deputy sheriff in his native county; and, by attending courts, he acquired a
taste for the law business. In 1816, he came with his wife, two children,
and his worldly goods, in a two-horse wagon, to the south part of Chautauqua
county, the journey occuppng six weeks. He purchased the " betterments"
on a small farm in Carroll, where he passed through the usual experiences of
early pioneer life. He went into the lumbering business, in which he was
very unsuccessful. The landing on the Connewango where he drew, with
ox-teams, his logs and shingles, is still called " Waite's Landing." Being
unfitted for manual labor, by reason of a rupture, he turned to the profession
of law. He moved to Jamestown in 1821, and commenced the study in his
35th year, and practiced his profession there about 30 years. He attained a
respectable standing at the bar, and served in the offices of justice, district-
attorney, examiner in chancery, supreme court commissioner, and county
superintendent of the poor, and performed the duties of these offices with
general acceptance. In 1854, he emigrated to Fond du Lac, Wis., to live
with his children; and on the 8th of January, 1855, he died of apoplexy,
after a sickness of 26 hours. In 1870, his remains were removed to the new
cemetery at Jamestown, and deposited by the side of those of his wife, who
died Feb. 27, 1851. They had two children, besides one that died in child-
hood: Franklin H., who resides in Mankato, Minn.; and Davis H., editor
and pubUsher of the Jamestown Journal.
JosiAH H. Wheeler was bom in Concord, Mass., in 1762, and married
Mary Miles, who was bom Feb. 10, 1765. They came with-a large family
from Wardsborough, Vt., to Ellicott, [now Carroll,] and purchased the land
and saw-mill on Frew's ran, belonging to Matthew Turner, lot 53, tp. i, r. 10.
Wheeler and his sons stocked and ran the mill with their own labor, and
soon cleared up a good farm. He had 5 sons : James, Josiah, Francis,
Miles, and Daniel. The sons, or most of them, as they came of age, were
helped to land on which to start in life. The daughters were : Rebecca,
wife of James Frew ; Polly, wife of John Rose, of Frewsburgh ; and Anna.
^^^^c^^^:^ y^^Ct^,
CHARLOTTE. 25 1
Josiah H. Wheeler died, [date not ascertained.] His wife died in 1857,
aged about 92 years. She well remembered, till her death, the time when
the report was spread that the British were coming to Concord to destroy
the military stores collected there by the colonists, and when, at the age of
ten years, she fled wi 
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